Application of Goffman's Theory of Dramaturgy and Baudrillard's Concepts of Simulacrum and Simulation in the Metaverse

Abstract

This study investigates social interaction within the Metaverse from the perspective of Goffman's dramaturgical theory and Baudrillard's theory of hyperreality. The Metaverse, as a deeply immersive virtual 3-D world, presents extensive opportunities for sociological analysis of the presentation of self, identity construction, and the creation of "hyperreality" within the contemporary digital world. This study employs the virtual ethnographic methods of participant observation and semi-structured interviewing within four Metaverse contexts including massive multiplayer online role-playing games, immersive social media, Metaverse conferences, and digital human live broadcasts. Results show that participant activities are clustered into three main themes, namely the replication of the self and self-idealization, the extension of the self, and identity masking/unmasking. Through employing dramaturgical theory and the theory of hyperreality, the analysis of these three themes illuminates a deeper understanding of how Metaverse social interactions both replicate and diverge from sociological understandings of the self, identity, and "reality".