ITOM professor Schultze of SMU Cox confronts new boundaries between the avatar and its user in a series of studies of virtual worlds. Her new research shines light on the innerworkings of the avatar-user relationship and what opportunities the creator is afforded—at times disturbing the balance between what is considered real versus not real.

The Internet has evolved from static web pages to e-commerce — and now to identity play — according to Professor Ulrike Schultze of SMU Cox. Through researching how people use their avatars and operate in Second Life, "one of the richest social media environments," Schultze finds new insights into how our on- and off-line identities are increasingly entangled—and how social media is evolving.