<s>
A	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
is	O
the	O
state	O
of	O
being	O
when	O
inhabiting	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
or	O
a	O
virtual	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
person	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
internet	O
is	O
considered	O
not	O
only	O
physically	O
in	O
the	O
space	O
in	O
front	O
of	O
the	O
computer	O
but	O
also	O
virtually	O
represented	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
interact	O
,	O
in	O
cyberspace	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
is	O
also	O
recognized	O
as	O
an	O
escape	O
from	O
the	O
limits	O
set	O
by	O
reality	O
and	O
different	O
forms	O
of	O
conventionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
two	O
particular	O
ways	O
that	O
the	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
is	O
frequently	O
discussed	O
;	O
the	O
disembodied	O
essence	O
of	O
a	O
person	O
's	O
mind	O
in	O
cyberspace	B-General_Concept
and	O
the	O
consequent	O
representation	O
of	O
a	O
person	O
's	O
identity	O
as	O
a	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
in	O
cyberspace	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subsequently	O
,	O
the	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
is	O
regarded	O
as	O
psychologically	O
created	O
essence	O
that	O
is	O
virtually	O
floating	O
between	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
information	O
in	O
turn	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
theories	O
,	O
affects	O
the	O
mind	O
and	O
the	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
but	O
has	O
no	O
interaction	O
with	O
the	O
physical	O
body	O
,	O
which	O
has	O
deployed	O
a	O
technological	O
gaze	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
early	O
issue	O
frequently	O
discussed	O
about	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
bodies	I-General_Concept
is	O
that	O
although	O
the	O
opportunity	O
was	O
presented	O
to	O
create	O
and	O
be	O
any	O
sort	O
of	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
imaginable	O
,	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
tendency	O
to	O
reproduce	O
old	O
identities	O
referring	O
to	O
gender	O
and	O
racial	O
stereotypes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
new	O
identities	O
are	O
explored	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
been	O
noticed	O
that	O
the	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
effortlessly	O
(	O
and	O
sometimes	O
subconsciously	O
)	O
crosses	O
traditional	O
borders	O
,	O
not	O
only	O
concerning	O
identities	O
but	O
also	O
of	O
human	O
and	O
machine	O
,	O
particularly	O
in	O
the	O
sense	O
of	O
having	O
a	O
clear	O
notion	O
of	O
what	O
is	O
real	O
and	O
what	O
is	O
only	O
available	O
through	O
collaboration	O
with	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
'	O
border	O
crossing	O
 '	O
implies	O
that	O
the	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
in	O
itself	O
is	O
a	O
fluid	O
state	O
of	O
being	O
that	O
conceals	O
itself	O
within	O
social	O
conventions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
can	O
also	O
be	O
regarded	O
as	O
needing	O
the	O
body	O
for	O
extra	O
immersion	O
into	O
a	O
virtual	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
notion	O
was	O
initially	O
discussed	O
in	O
reference	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
developments	O
of	O
Virtual	B-Application
Reality	I-Application
,	O
where	O
goggles	O
and	O
gloves	O
were	O
required	O
to	O
fully	O
immerse	O
the	O
mind	O
into	O
virtual	O
worlds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
type	O
of	O
virtual	B-Application
reality	I-Application
offers	O
a	O
different	O
kind	O
of	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
because	O
it	O
generates	O
the	O
idea	O
within	O
the	O
mind	O
that	O
the	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
and	O
the	O
real	O
physical	O
body	O
are	O
one	O
and	O
the	O
same	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
more	O
common	O
notion	O
of	O
the	O
identities	O
constructed	O
by	O
people	O
(	O
and	O
therefore	O
depicted	O
through	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
bodies	I-General_Concept
or	O
avatars	B-Application
)	O
is	O
the	O
representation	O
people	O
give	O
on	O
websites	O
such	O
as	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
MySpace	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
These	O
websites	O
offer	O
a	O
more	O
direct	O
way	O
for	O
people	O
to	O
exhibit	O
how	O
they	O
want	O
to	O
be	O
seen	O
and	O
understood	O
,	O
which	O
in	O
turn	O
develops	O
their	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
representation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
the	O
same	O
lines	O
,	O
is	O
the	O
identity	O
significant	O
idea	O
behind	O
chat	O
rooms	O
(	O
particularly	O
dating	O
ones	O
)	O
where	O
there	O
would	O
be	O
issues	O
regarding	O
how	O
different	O
the	O
represented	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
body	I-General_Concept
and	O
identity	O
is	O
to	O
the	O
real	O
physical	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
unlike	O
virtual	B-General_Concept
bodies	I-General_Concept
created	O
for	O
the	O
sake	O
of	O
playing	O
games	O
online	O
where	O
exaggeration	O
and	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
imagination	O
is	O
encouraged	O
.	O
</s>
