Concept: virtual

Routledge eBooks 2026 Book chapter

View at publisher
Authors: Tom Boellstorff
DOI: 10.4324/9781032672663-18
Cited by: 0

Abstract

The concept of the virtual, and its associated concept of the metaverse, can be useful for practicing digital anthropology. However, current understandings of both are deeply muddled, warped by rhetorics of promotion ranging from entrepreneurial zeal to rampant hucksterism. In particular, conflating the “virtual” of “virtual reality” with the “virtual” of “virtual world” confuses interface with place, making it difficult to articulate the reality of online worlds. Reframing virtual reality as “sensory immersion” provides one way to delineate what anthropology offers to our study of digital cultures.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Cultural Studies and Postmodernism Virtual Reality Applications and Impacts Digital Games and Media

Publication details

Journal / source
Routledge eBooks
Pages
143–145
Publication date
30 January 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Book chapter