ABSTRACT
In its original meaning, an “avatar” was the earthly incarnation or manifestation of a Hindu god – the local presence of something bigger and more powerful that held in its hands the fate of whole peoples (Britt 2008). In age of the internet, however, the term has come to mean something rather different. Here an “avatar” is the visual cyber-expression of a user in a online public environment, whether it is a virtual reality “person” in Second Life, or the image or icon chosen to accompany one’s postings to an online chat forum. No longer, therefore, is an avatar a representation of the very real powers of a (divine) reality. Instead, it is an expression of an idea, desire, or an ideal. It is also an attempt to influence the attitudes and orientations of others. Indeed, given the frequency with which uncommonly attractive images of other people are used as online avatars, an “av” might represent quite a lot of wishful thinking. The term has been popularized and transformed still further with the global success of the science fiction movie Avatar (2009), in which humans interact with the indigenous Na’vi population of the planet Pandora through a virtual connection to hybrid human-alien bodies. Today, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
in the Near East (UNRWA) demonstrates something of all of these meanings. Some see in the organization a representational link to the more powerful domain of the international community. Others see UNRWA as expressing an idea or an aspiration, or acting as a stalking horse for other, very different interests. As with internet avatars, these images are subject to the vagaries of online interpretation and reinterpretation, with the modern blogosphere playing an increasingly important role in the battle over UNRWA’s image – a battle with real-world implications. Finally, film director James Cameron has told us that an avatar can be something big, blue, and rather expensive to produce. Those who have seen the movie will know that his avatars, like UNRWA, aren’t always quite what they seem. They are a well-meaning initiative caught in a political bind. They are a partnership with the local population that that is important to empowering a dispossessed people to take control of their own destinies. Yet they are also a partnership that annoys
the powers that be – some of whom, indeed, would like to shut the whole operation down.
