ABSTRACT
The concept of authenticity is a much-debated notion in media studies and discourse. For example, performances of rituals or pilgrimages online are often doubted as being a mere simulation or a reproduction of something “real,” rather than being authentic as such (Hill-Smith 2009). Researchers also raise questions in relation to the study of rituals within virtual worlds, such as Second Life or World of Warcraft, regarding whether online rituals are serious and authentic acts, or fakes or flawed simulations (Radde-Antweiler 2010). In Internet research in general there has been much debate about whether social actions within digital realms have the same quality as face-to-face interactions.
