Chief Assist. Prof. Niya Neykova
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
https://doi.org/10.53656/phil2024-03S-13
Abstract. The text examines the representations of relationships, intimacy and love in virtual reality, based on a thematic analysis of a corpus of keyword-selected YouTube videos. The interest in this topic is driven by its status as a new phenomenon that challenges the very boundaries of our cultural understanding. These boundaries are situated at the nexus of real and virtual, identity and belonging, trust and infidelity. Given that virtual reality is not yet a mainstream phenomenon, the analysis is made at the level of representations rather than practices. In general, the data highlight specific forms of reimagining the body and its agency in online environments.
Keywords: virtual reality, love, intimacy, body, avatar
