ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a theoretical investigation of Second Life as nation through the lens of Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities. It focuses on the nature of the relationship that exists between individuals and online virtual worlds through a theoretical discussion of Actual-World nationhood. An Internet-enabled phenomenon, online virtual worlds (OVWs) often employ computer generated imaging to simulate three-dimensional environments populated by user-created avatars, which Yee succinctly defines as ‘customizable characters’. An OVW can take a number of different forms, but the chapter focuses at one type in particular: online virtual social worlds (OVSWs) and specifically at the OVSW known as Second Life. The notion of the imagined community is intrinsically related to the people of a nation and the way in which individuals imagine a deeply felt attachment to those people. Yet, Anderson’s conception of nationhood includes other imaginings, beyond just those related to one’s co-nationals.
