Emotion, Embodiment and the Virtual World : Interactions within the Virtualization Process of Life (Routledge Studies in Science, Technology and Society)

This book seeks to understand emotions in the virtual world. It explores embodiment, hybridization, and emotions within interactions mediated by a virtual avatar. The work aims to contribute to reflection within the sociology of emotion, creating a line of continuity that starts from the classical concept of empathy, passing through its virtualization and arriving at the transformation of everyday life online. Therefore, this work lends itself as a starting proposition, analysing different themes, from online emotions to sex, from the virtualization of bodies to their veneration, and from the internet of things to the internet of life. Examining emotions such as empathy, love, anger, and fear in the virtual world, it uses the metaverse as a case study for human cognitive and emotional embodiment mediated by avatars. This book will appeal to scholars and students interested in the sociology of emotion, the sociology of innovation, interaction, science and technology studies, media studies, and game studies.