CONNECTIONS AND COMMUNITIES IN VIRTUAL WORLDS DESIGNED FOR CHILDREN

As more and more people are interacting through online spaces, questions emerge as to how these computer-mediated interactions impact people's social connections and ability to form communities. Some of the online spaces that are exceedingly popular are virtual worlds designed specifically for children. This study, using participant-observations and content analysis, explored how users communicate, form connections, and develop community in children's virtual worlds. This 3-year study found that users find creative ways to bypass design features to share personal information, establish group membership, and build connections both in the virtual worlds and on their accompanying fan sites. These findings provide valuable insight into the social affordances of popular online spaces for children, as well as expand modern-day conceptualizations of social connection and community.