Chapter 3. A framework for the study of identity in online interactions through virtual exchange

Abstract

In this chapter, I propose a theoretical framework for the study of identity in interaction that is grounded in the poststructuralist views of identity as social action that I explored in the previous chapter. It is specifically targeted for the study of identity in online interactions and builds on five key principles. These include the situatedness of interaction and identity work; the mediation of technology in online interactions and identity work; and three principles drawn from the work of Bucholtz and Hall (2005); positionality, indexicality, and relationality. These principles are explained briefly in this chapter, and then each will be explored in further detail in subsequent chapters, drawing on examples from the study of interactions in a specific context of virtual exchange.