Avatar Gender-Trouble

Yet another finding that is revealed in the chat logs was that the Palace software encouraged sexualized conversations by including several male and female avatars dressed in sexy, revealing clothing. While these types of avatars are common in software packages, the students often used the avatars in problematic ways in order to gain power in the online conversations. For example, in one group, male students from all colleges "try on" different avatars and then comment on themselves and others:

• Simon-GT: James, you're damn sexy!
• James (GC): holy crap Mike, you have been busy
• Sally -GT: oh...sounds like your very busy
• James (GC): thank you cute
• Mike: he, James, the last 3 weeks have been like that
• James (GC): that is what my girlfriend looks like
• Simon-GT: Hey baby, so like, what are you doing after the meeting?
• James (GC): ha
• Mike: I sleep every other night if I'm lucky
• James (GC): why dude, studying??
• James (GC): has anyone decided on a topic yet
• Sally -GT: okay...guys when do you want to meet
• James (GC): dudes I dot care when we meet
• Sally -GT: ha
• Simon-GT: I'm damn sexy!!
• Mike: biggest reason was a harddrive crash, been trying to catch up in everything without just getting behind
• Sally -GT: that sucks
• James (GC): you are, maybe me and you can hook up--if you know what i mean
• Simon-GT: stop crashing your stupid computer Mike!
• Simon-GT: That would rock! Lesbian's are cool.
• James (GC): you and i are in the same gutter Simon
• James (GC): haha
• Sally-GT: yes you are
• James (GC): lets do some Eng. now

 

Throughout the semester, the conversations of this group focus on sexual, often homosexual, comments, particularly between James and Simon, who often "gang up" on Mike:

• Simon-GT: Mike, don't try to look cool ok?
• James (GC): haah
• Simon-GT: J/k
• Mike: heh, I wish I could look cool
• Sally -GT: what defines a person as cool..
• James (GC): you just cant be as cool as Simon and i, Mike
• Mike: :if only I was a crossdressing gay lesbian man...
• Simon-GT: not talking about english on a Friday night for starters?
• James (GC): the amount of women and amount of beer he has
• Mike: *chuckle*
• Sally -GT: whatever
• James (GC): where is deb?
• James (GC): i miss her
• Sally-GT: dont i feel loved
• Simon-GT: hey baby

 
Here, both Mike and Sally feel left out by James's and Simon’s comments. Mike strikes back by making a homosexual slur at James. Sally returns in the next chat log as a very sexy avatar, which seems to get her more attention form the males in the group. Again, relationships in online chat sessions are not devoid of the kinds of power dynamic that occur in real life classrooms. Importantly, however, in most chat sessions an instructor is not present, an absence which often seems to lead to inappropriate behavior online.