Virtual worlds as sites for social and cultural innovation

Abstract

There is a growing recognition of the importance of virtual worlds as environments and media that carry the potential for social and cultural innovation by making possible new forms of social relationships based on communication among avatars. The articles in this special issue exemplify some aspects of this potential but also point out some of the many questions and unsolved problems that follow with innovation and the continuous development of virtual worlds. The two key concepts of virtual worlds and innovation are both widely used concepts that refer to emergent and rapidly changing phenomena without sharp contours or clearly defined boundaries. In the context of this special issue, we treat both virtual worlds and innovation as emergent phenomena in flux. Some of the features of virtual worlds, however, may also be seen as stable. According to Bell (2008) and Schroeder (2008, 2011), virtual worlds depend on stable, persistent digital infrastructures. Moreover, the online presence of gamers and residents is referred to by digital symbols and signs – be they avatars, space ships or green dots – and the technological platforms are accessible 24/7 over longer periods of time. They appear to be stable technologies and platforms, almost permanent. How is it, then, that we see them as emergent phenomena in flux? Our focus in this special issue of Convergence is on social and cultural innovation in and with virtual worlds which means that the technological innovation of the digital platforms and of the technology in itself are not our primary interest of reflection and analysis. Social and cultural innovation are phenomena of a fluid nature, subject to continuous change: the way we see and understand ourselves and each other, the way we experience exciting and extraordinary events or seek inspiration by thought-provoking art installations, the way we build virtual communities of high ideals or take the opportunity to live out behaviours otherwise not acceptable in our everyday life, these are all examples of human relationships with distinctive features that hold the potential for creative and innovative responses to new environments.