Roland is an anthropologist who applies the multi-sited ethnography approach and travels to the nation of Cuba to address the …show more content…
Virtual tourism demonstrates field work in anthropology as avatar, Tom Bukowski, resides in Ethnographia and engages in an observer as participant role to collect data through various types of tourism thus giving him the ability to embed himself within the natural setting and give a primary account. The types of tourism include: 1) Event and shopping tourism: Avatars may decide to meet in RW and attend concerts, shop or engage in SL meetings, parties, nightclubs, and purchase virtual merchandise. 2) Movie tourism: Avatars may visit places solely based on interests such as share links to movie reviews or be active in the ethnographic area because of the movie release Avatar (2010, December 10). 3) Sex tourism: online discussions and conversations with other avatars for the purpose of game play. This is one of the concerns raised by an avatar as other SL residents desired to view the activity by standing outside the window. 4) Cultural tourism: transcultural conversations with individuals from various backgrounds; not implicitly visible. 5) Identity tourism: Since ‘real’ identities are unverifiable it is guaranteed that each curious individual with an online profile is utilizing this form of tourism. As Boellstorff states, we may not realize who is behind the screen until a long time period as anonymity and false identities or representations of the self are common