DOCSLIB.ORG

Questions About Accountability and Illegality of Virtual Rape Melissa Mary Fenech Sander Iowa State University

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Digital Repository @ Iowa State University Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2009 Questions about accountability and illegality of virtual rape Melissa Mary Fenech Sander Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the Communication Commons Recommended Citation Sander, Melissa Mary Fenech, "Questions about accountability and illegality of virtual rape" (2009). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 11046. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/11046 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Questions about accountability and illegality of virtual rape by Melissa Mary Fenech Sander A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Major: Journalism and Mass Communication Program of Study Committee: Jeffrey L. Blevins, Major Professor Nikki Bado-Fralick Michael Bugeja Chad Harms Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2009 Copyright © Melissa Mary Fenech Sander, 2009. All rights reserved. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... V ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ VI CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................... 10 Cyberspace and Virtual Communities .................................................................... 10 Multiple Realities .................................................................................................... 12 Communication and Technology Theory ............................................................... 14 Perspectives of Virtual Environments .................................................................... 17 Accountability ......................................................................................................... 18 Lineation of Online Harassment ............................................................................. 19 Flaming ............................................................................................................... 19 Griefing ............................................................................................................... 20 Cyberostracism ................................................................................................... 21 Cyberbullying ..................................................................................................... 21 Cyberstalking ...................................................................................................... 22 Sexual Harassment .............................................................................................. 23 Sexual Assault ................................................................................................. 23 What’s, Why’s, How’s and Who’s of Virtual Rape ............................................... 24 What It Is............................................................................................................. 24 Why It Happens .................................................................................................. 26 How It Occurs and Who the Victims Are ........................................................... 27 Cyberstalking .................................................................................................. 29 Sexual Harassment .......................................................................................... 32 Rape vs. Virtual Rape ............................................................................................. 35 Cases of Virtual Rape ............................................................................................. 36 The “Bungle Affair” ........................................................................................... 37 Jake Baker ........................................................................................................... 39 Brussels Investigation Into Second Life ............................................................. 39 Virtual Rape, Cyber Violence, and the Law ........................................................... 40 CHAPTER 3: METHODS AND PROCEDURES .................................................... 42 Legal Research and Analysis .................................................................................. 42 Second Life Terms Evaluation of Self-Regulation ................................................. 44 CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS ........................................................................................ 46 Second Life Terms of Service Review ................................................................... 46 Terms of Service ................................................................................................. 46 iii Section 1: The Services and Content of Second Life ..................................... 47 Section 2: Account Registrations and Requirements ...................................... 48 Section 4: Conduct by Users of Second Life .................................................. 49 Section 5: Releases, Disclaimers of Warranty, Limitation of Liability, and Indemnification ............................................................................................... 50 Community Standards ......................................................................................... 51 Second Life Tools for Reporting ........................................................................ 52 Virtual Rape and the First Amendment .................................................................. 55 An Argument of Free Speech ............................................................................. 55 An Argument of Illegality ................................................................................... 57 Regulation of Virtual Rape ..................................................................................... 59 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ................................................................................... 64 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 73 APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................. 82 APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................. 87 APPENDIX C ............................................................................................................. 90 APPENDIX D ............................................................................................................. 92 APPENDIX E ............................................................................................................. 95 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1 .................................................................................................................................... 35 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people dedicated their time, expertise, guidance, enthusiasm, ideas and support to make the completion of this thesis possible. I would like to take this opportunity to first thank my thesis committee: Dr. Jeff Blevins, my major professor and advisor, for your unending patience and guidance. Without your continued support, ideas, expertise, and conversation I would have been lost; Dr. Nicki Bado-Fralick for your amazing point of view and hard-hitting questions that made this thesis more concrete; Dr. Chad Harms for your enthusiasm, ideas, and guidance; Dr. Michael Bugeja for your passion, support, and defense day arguments. I would also like to send a warm thank you to Kim Curell, who, without a doubt, is the heart of Greenlee. Without your superior knowledge of the paperwork, the thesis process, and friendly conversations, I probably would have pulled my hair out. I would also like to thank my family and friends for their love, enthusiastic support, and encouragement, even if a little overbearing at times: My parents for their support in completing my Master of Science; My little brother for his arguments; My big brother for his insightful questions and good-natured opposition; My fellow Greenlee grad students for their intuitive conversations on topic and off. Most of all, I would like to thank my husband for his unending love, support, encouragement, discussion, and proofreading. Without your daily encouragement and dedication to my success, I would have never finished. “Dedication is not what others expect of you, it is what you can give to others.” -Unknown vi ABSTRACT Virtual rape is not a new phenomenon in virtual communities, as Julian Dibbell’s 1993 article pointed out, but it is beginning to gain attention in some scholarly circles. Of the articles specifically covering virtual rape, most focus on whether
Recommended publications
  • Theft in the Digital: Can You Steal Virtual Property?

    Theft in the Digital: Can You Steal Virtual Property?

    Theft in the Digital: Can you Steal Virtual Property? Wayne Rumbles* I. Introduction This article explores issues arising around the theft of virtual property. It first explains a number of perhaps counter intuitive concepts vital to the understanding of the importance of extending ‘real world’ criminal law and criminal liability to conduct inside virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft or Second Life. This article focuses on theft of virtual property and explores how other jurisdictions are developing responses to this issue. It then develops an analysis of the operation of ‘real world’ New Zealand criminal law rules around theft, in the context of the evolution of virtual property. II. Understanding Virtual Worlds At first glance the virtual world universe, with its multitude of virtual realms, may seem like nothing but a place for virtual play, a place to which our teenage sons and daughters disappear when they should be cleaning their room. Online multiplayer computer simulated environments have come along way since Habitat was launched in 1988, on the Commodore 64 platform running through the online service QuantumLink.1 Today these worlds are interactive 3D or 2D virtual environments, which provide social spaces accessed via the Internet and accommodate millions of human users. Users interact in this world through avatars, which are computer generated representations, and acquire virtual property of one sort or another through their avatars. The number, complexity and diversity of these worlds continue to develop at a steadily increasing pace. There are still many uncertainties in the development of virtual worlds, however what is certain is that they will continue to grow and absorb aspects of our social interaction on the web.
  • Violent Victimization in Cyberspace: an Analysis of Place, Conduct, Perception, and Law

    Violent Victimization in Cyberspace: an Analysis of Place, Conduct, Perception, and Law

    Violent Victimization in Cyberspace: An Analysis of Place, Conduct, Perception, and Law by Hilary Kim Morden B.A. (Hons), University of the Fraser Valley, 2010 Thesis submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts IN THE SCHOOL OF CRIMINOLOGY FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES © Hilary Kim Morden 2012 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2012 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for “Fair Dealing.” Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. Approval Name: Hilary Kim Morden Degree: Master of Arts (School of Criminology) Title of Thesis: Violent Victimization in Cyberspace: An Analysis of Place, Conduct, Perception, and Law Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. William Glackman, Associate Director Graduate Programs Dr. Brian Burtch Senior Supervisor Professor, School of Criminology Dr. Sara Smyth Supervisor Assistant Professor, School of Criminology Dr. Gregory Urbas External Examiner Senior Lecturer, Department of Law Australian National University Date Defended/Approved: July 13, 2012 ii Partial Copyright Licence iii Abstract The anonymity, affordability, and accessibility of the Internet can shelter individuals who perpetrate violent acts online. In Canada, some of these acts are prosecuted under existing criminal law statutes (e.g., cyber-stalking, under harassment, s. 264, and cyber- bullying, under intimidation, s. 423[1]). However, it is unclear whether victims of other online behaviours such as cyber-rape and organized griefing have any established legal recourse.
  • Faculty Research Working Papers Series

    Faculty Research Working Papers Series

    Faculty Research Working Papers Series Napster's Second Life? - The Regulatory Challenges of Virtual Worlds Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and John Crowley September 2005 RWP05-052 The views expressed in the KSG Faculty Research Working Paper Series are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the John F. Kennedy School of Government or Harvard University. Copyright belongs to the author(s). Papers may be downloaded for personal use only. Napster’s Second Life? The Regulatory Challenges of Virtual Worlds+ Viktor Mayer-Schönberger* & John Crowley‡ Imagine a world with millions of people communicating and transacting. Imagine a world just like ours except that is it made entirely of bits, not atoms. Ten years ago, John Perry Barlow imagined such a radical world – cyberspace.1 He saw people interacting without the constraints of national rules. They would be independent from regulatory fiat and unbound by the mandates of Washington, Paris, London, Berlin or Beijing. His vision relied on information traveling a global network at lightning speed, with content living off server farms in nations with little regulation, weak enforcement, or both. In this world of global regulatory arbitrage2, organizations could relocate their servers to jurisdictional safe havens overnight. 3 They might pop up in exotic places like Aruba4 or + We thank Urs Gasser, Raph Koster, David Lazer, Beth Noveck, Cory Ondrejka, and John Palfrey, who have read the manuscript and provided most valuable feedback. We gratefully acknowledge the research assistance of Malte Ziewitz. * Associate Professor of Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. ‡ Technologist and freelance consultant for the John F.
  • Downloads Achieved, Cookies Distributed, and Pages Viewed) Provide What Seems Like the Sole Quantifier for Success Or Failure

    Downloads Achieved, Cookies Distributed, and Pages Viewed) Provide What Seems Like the Sole Quantifier for Success Or Failure

    THE AUTHORITY OF LAW IN TIMES OF CYBERSPACE Viktor Mayer-SchOnberger* As the Internet grows ever more pervasive, the debate continues over what ought to be the proper relationship between existing law and this new virtual realm called "cyberspace." In this Article, Professor Mayer-Schonberger examines the question from a post- modern perspective and presents his arguments in a unique format comprised of a four-act play to better convey the emotional aspects of the debate and its potential for variable outcomes. The acts are set around only two characters: "authority of law," which represents "the law" and all its attendant social processes, and "cyberspace," which represents both the physical and communicative structures of that realm. Each of the four acts represents a different view of the relationshipbetween "the law" and "cyberspace." Act One depicts a struggle between law and cyberspace that arises from the view that cyberspace is either a sleazy, ruleless place in need of cleaning up, or an extension of the real world. In both cases, law must triumph and subjugate cyberspace so that safety is restoredor to prevent unfairnessfrom the uneven applicationof rules between the real and virtual worlds. The charactersagain do battle in Act Two, but this time cyberspace is the victor, vanquishing law and replacing it with a regulatory framework dictated by the information infrastructure. In Act Three, law and cyberspace coexist, not by cooperating, but by de-coupling from each other. Both retain authority in its own area, with cyberspace existing outside the law, either lawless or open for self-regulation. The last act, Act Four, represents the author's view of the true nature of the relationshipbetween the two characters.
  • Austin Games Conference 2005

    Austin Games Conference 2005

    Why are we here? 28 th october 2005 Austin games conference profesSor Richard A. Bartle University of esSEx introduction • It is a truth universally acknowledged… • that I’ve called this talk “why are we here?” – I include as “we” those who would have been here if they hadn’t been out ”Networking” until 2:30am this morning • I do mean the question quite literally: why are any of us in this location right now ? • This is actually a meaningful question… 1 Deep and meaningful Put another way • Point of fact: you are All goinG to DIE • Given this information, why are you here ? In this converted balLroOm ? • Why aren’t you in – paris? – China? – Darfur? – Bed? – World of warcraft ? • Hmm, I guess some of you are in there… 2 Short answer • Well, you’re here because you’re mMorpg developers and this is a mmorpg developers’ conference – officially, “networked game development” conference… • [aside: I’m gonna call them virtual worlds , not mMorpgs ] – I’m not giving up on my book’s title yet , dammit! • But this leads to another question: Another question • Why are you [mmorpg] virtual world developers? • Why aren’t you – regular game developers? – Novelists? – Truck drivers? – Nuclear power station software engineers? – Lawyers? – level 80 on runescape with 2 blue masks, 2 green masks, 2 santa hats and a red party hat ? • “Because it would cost me $5,100 on ebay” (44 bids, 13 hours to go, and simbatamer realLy wants it) 3 hackers • Notice the subtitle answers • Some posSible answers: – You’re a vw developer Purely by acCident – You wanted a
  • Fantasy Depictions of Child Sexual Abuse: the Problem of Ageplay in Second Life

    Fantasy Depictions of Child Sexual Abuse: the Problem of Ageplay in Second Life

    University of Huddersfield Repository Reeves, Carla Fantasy depictions of child sexual abuse: The problem of ageplay in Second Life Original Citation Reeves, Carla (2012) Fantasy depictions of child sexual abuse: The problem of ageplay in Second Life. Journal of Sexual Aggression. pp. 1-11. ISSN 1355-2600 This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/13133/ The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of the University, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the items on this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners. Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided: • The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy; • A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and • The content is not changed in any way. For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, please contact the Repository Team at: [email protected]. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/ Fantasy Depictions of Child Sexual Abuse: The Problem of Ageplay in Second Life Dr Carla Reeves Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of Huddersfield R2/44 Ramsden Building Queensgate Campus University of Huddersfield Huddersfield HD1 3DH [email protected] 01484 47 2549 1 Fantasy Depictions of Child Sexual Abuse: The Problem of Ageplay in Second Life Abstract This paper explores the arguments put forward for prohibiting the possession of fantasy images of child sexual abuse within the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, and applies them to sexual ageplay in Second Life.
  • Dossie Easton ; Janet W Hardy the Ne� to © 2003 by Dossie Easton and Janet W

    Dossie Easton ; Janet W Hardy the Ne� to © 2003 by Dossie Easton and Janet W

    THE NEW Dossie Easton ; Janet W Hardy the ne� To © 2003 by Dossie Easton and Janet W. Hardy All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, television or Internet reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording or by information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher. Cover design: DesignTribe Cover illustration: Fish Published in the United States by Greenery Press, 3403 Piedmont Ave. #301, Oakland,CA 94 611,www .greenerypress.com. ISBN 1-8901 59-36-0 Readers should be aware that BDSM, like all sexual activities, carries an inherent risk ofphysical and/oremot ional injury. While we believe that following the guidelines set forth in this book will minimize that potential, the writers and publisher encourage you to be aware that you are taking some risk when you decide to engage in these activities, and to accept personal responsibility forthat risk. In acting on the information in this book, you agree to accept thatinformation as is and with allfau lts. Neither the authors, the publisher, nor anyone else associated with the creation or sale of this book is responsible for any damage sustained. CONTENTS Foreword: Re-Visioning ............................................ i 1. Hello Again! ............ .............................. .. .... ... ....... 1 2. What Is It About Topping, Anyway? ....................... 9 3. What Do Tops Do? ................ ...................... ........ 21 interlude 1 ....... ... .......... ..... ... ... .. .... ........... ... 33 4. Rights and Responsibilities ... ....... ................ .... 37 5. How Do Yo u Learn To Do This Stuff?. .. ............... 49 interlude 2 .. ...... .. ... ......... .. ................ ....... 57 6. Soaring Higher ...................... ................... ... ...... .. 61 7. BDSM Ethics ...................
  • Download the Pdf

    Download the Pdf

    Why? are all that play games. Immature is the people, someone is going to commit same as youth. Young! Our young boys suicide.” Because it’s out there. We should talk are being exposed to age-inappropriate Hello fellow Escapists, I have some about it. If we don’t talk about it, it’s material! Indeed, The Escapist picks out this exciting news. Our clan just grew one more likely to go places that’s not observation as worthy of highlighting in larger. Russ Pitts, previously of Gamers healthy. If we try to sweep it under the Can you blame them? I sure can’t. What a larger font alongside the article. But with Jobs, has joined our editorial team bed, it will be hidden in the darkest, needs to happen, before games can did he really mean this? as Associate Editor for Acquisitions. dirtiest crevices of the internet that are comfortably be seen as accepted We’re all pretty excited to have him, and not always safe. So, let’s bring it out in entertainment for people over the age of It seems rather more likely that this is look forward to incorporating his ideas the open – we’re all adults here. 18, is not just that developers need to two observations combined. 20% is one into The Escapist. Everyone please make games appealing to adults (which “out of five people” in the country. And: welcome Russ! What? Adults play games? They’re not many are), but the media needs to with a sample that large “someone is just child’s toys? Yes, that is correct.
  • Bojin-Diss-Library Copy

    Bojin-Diss-Library Copy

    Exploring the Notion of ‘Grinding’ in Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Gamer Discourse: The Case of Guild Wars by Nis Bojin M.A. (Communication & Culture), York University, 2005 B.A. (Psychology/Classical Studies Double Major), York University, 2000 Dissertation Submitted In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the School of Interactive Arts and Technology Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology © Nis Bojin 2013 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2013 Approval Name: Nis Bojin Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title of Thesis: Exploring the Notion of ‘Grinding’ in Massively Multiplayer Online Role Player Gamer Discourse Examining Committee: Chair: Halil Erhan Assistant Professor (SFU-SIAT) John Bowes Senior Supervisor Professor, Program Director (SFU- SIAT) Suzanne de Castell Co-Supervisor Professor (University of Ontario Institute of Technology) Jim Bizzocchi Supervisor Associate Professor (SFU-SIAT) Carman Neustaedter Internal Examiner Assistant Professor (SFU-SIAT) Sean Gouglas External Examiner Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology (University of Alberta) Date Defended/Approved: May 29, 2013 ii Partial Copyright License iii Ethics Statement The author, whose name appears on the title page of this work, has obtained, for the research described in this work, either: a. human research ethics approval from the Simon Fraser University Office of Research Ethics, or b. advance approval of the animal care protocol from the University Animal Care Committee of Simon Fraser University; or has conducted the research c. as a co-investigator, collaborator or research assistant in a research project approved in advance, or d. as a member of a course approved in advance for minimal risk human research, by the Office of Research Ethics.
  • Gender and Power Issues in On-Line Learning Environments

    Gender and Power Issues in On-Line Learning Environments

    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 442 972 CE 080 389 AUTHOR Machanic, Mindy TITLE Gender and Power Issues in On-Line Learning Environments. PUB DATE 1998-10-00 NOTE 8p.; Paper presented at the Meeting of the International Conference on the Social Impacts of Technology (1st, St. Louis, Missouri, October 1998). PUB TYPE Opinion Papers (120) Speeches/Meeting Papers (150) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adult Education; *Computer Mediated Communication; *Distance Education; *Educational Environment; Females; Higher Education; Internet; *Online Systems; Secondary Education; Sex Fairness; *Sexual Harassment; Virtual Reality; World Wide Web IDENTIFIERS Flaming (Computer Mediated Communication); *Online Courses; Stalking ABSTRACT The Internet (Net) and World Wide Web (WWW) have developed a variety of cultures and communities. Although most early users of the Net (mostly males) were well-intentioned and well-mannered, their social conventions (some blatantly sexist, others in the nature of macho posturing) have continued in many online chat rooms and virtual gaming environments. Women have not always felt welcome or safe in these areas. Gender harassment and invasions of women's online privacy by men has now gone beyond macho posturing and sexist language. Online classrooms now have many of the same problems as the larger world of the Web. Going beyond "flaming" (blasting someone publicly for something said online), stalking is a potential danger for both students and faculty. Flaming that got out of hand and some forms of sexual harassment in online classrooms have been reported. None of the new online learning technologies address the emerging issues of power, gender, and safety in online classrooms. Instructors should set the tone of conversation, set clear limits on what is appropriate behavior in the classroom, make it clear that flaming will not be tolerated, and make textual postings gender-neutral.
  • COMS 465: Computer Mediated Communication Plan

    COMS 465: Computer Mediated Communication Plan

    COMS 465: Computer Mediated Communication Plan Review Virtual Worlds & Bots Preview Review Avatar “At its core an avatar is a simple thing…It is an interactive, social representation of a user” (Meadows, 2008, p. 23). Identity “For some players the avatar becomes a purposeful projection or idealization of their own identity, while for others, the avatar is an experiment with new identities.” (Nick Yee 2008). 1. Avatar vs. the Real a priori access 1. Avatar vs. the Real a priori access a posteriori access 1. Avatar vs. the Real 1. Avatar vs. the Real "About a year ago, someone calling himself Marshall McLuhan began posting anonymously on a popular mailing list called Zone ([email protected]). Gary Wolf began a correspondence with the poster via a chain of anonymous remailers" (Wolf 1996, 129). 2. Opportunities/Challenges “The upside of incorporeal interaction: a technologically enabled, postmulticultural vision of identity disengaged from gender, ethnicity, and other problematic constructions. Online, users can float free of biological and sociocultural determinants” (Dery, 1994, p. 3). “By virtue of being physically disembodied from the creator, avatars in the theater of the game space may act in antisocial and even pathological ways— ways in which the 'real' person never would— shooting, maiming, and killing in brutal fashion” (Noveck, 2006, pp. 269-270). 2. Opportunities/Challenges 2. Opportunities/Challenges A Rape in Cyberspace An avatar, named Mr. Bungle, took advantage of and sexually abused other avatars in the textbased virtual world of LambdaMOO. Hidden behind the mask of the avatars, users feel free to engage in antisocial and violent behavior.
  • Nonverbal Communication in Text Based Virtual Realities

    Nonverbal Communication in Text Based Virtual Realities

    University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1996 Nonverbal communication in text based virtual realities John T. Masterson The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Masterson, John T., "Nonverbal communication in text based virtual realities" (1996). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 5466. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/5466 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Maureen and Mike MANSFIELD LIBRARY The UniversityfMONTANA o Permission is granted by the author to reproduce this material in its entirety, provided that this material is used for scholarly purposes and is properly cited in published works and reports. ** Please check "Yes" or "No" and provide signature ** Yes, I grant pennission No, I do not grant permission Author's Signature Date Any copying for commercial purposes or financial gam may be undertaken only with the author's explicit consent. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION IN TEXT BASED VIRTUAL REALITIES by John T. Masterson, III B.A. University of Miami 1991 presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts The University of Montana 1996 Approved by: Chair Dean, Graduate School Date UMI Number: EP40930 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted.