KATHLEEN VELLA
Gender swapping online is becoming increasingly popular as people experiment with their identity in cyberspace. Gender swapping online entails a male or female in reality assuming a character or avatar online of the opposite sex. This practice allows users to explore and manipulate their identity in a virtual community, which in reality is not as easy to experiment with. In this paper I will identify the numerous benefits that gender swapping online can bring to an individual’s identity exploration and argue how these benefits allow individuals to further appreciate identity in communities and networks.
