Society’s relationship with the virtual is a mutually influential relationship that is as dynamic and changing as the technology on which the virtual can be accessed. An individual’s interaction with the virtual world varies depending on the person using it. There is much freedom in the decisions that can be made regarding interaction with the virtual space and the production of the virtual self. Each individual can decide just how much of their real life they want available to other virtual users on their accounts. Users can choose to make their social media selves public or private, individuals can use their real name on their accounts or create a new name, and each person can decide how much real life time and effort they will spend on developing their virtual self. The virtual self that individuals create has the opportunity to influence and interact with many more people than the real world self could encounter. The virtual space is an incredibly powerful social force, and it has become a prevalent part of everyday real life. 

The virtual world and the selves that live within it have many of the same characteristics of the real world. There are relationships, there are games, and there are even celebrities. Some of the celebrities in the real world, use the social media platform of the virtual space to increase their fan base and give their fans a behind the scenes, first-hand-look into their everyday life. There are some however, who used social media as a platform to become famous. “Users strategically formulate a profile, reach out to followers, and reveal personal information to increase attention and thus improve their online status (Senft 2013)” (Marwick, 138). These people gain a status of social media fame that transcends the fame of the real world as they are able to present themselves to the viewers as a consumer product for which they can gain profit based off of the presentation of their virtual self. 

The amount of time some people spend constructing and maintaining their virtual self have led some to believe that the world of the virtual is a dangerously addicting space. It is true that “‘any time you spend online is time not spent on other parts of your life’ (Greenfield 1999:64)" (Boelstorff, 177). However, it is not the physical virtual space that people become addicted to, it is the social aspect of participating in the virtual world. “‘It was social relationships—particularly love relationships—that were commonly described in such [addictive] terms’ (Greenfield 1999)” (Boelstorff, 177). Could it be expected that these people who eliminate and cut off relationships and neglect the “self” that they have spend time and effort constructing and maintaining? That assumption comes from people’s belief that the virtual world is less genuine and real than the real world, however, that may not be the case. 

There is great power than can be harnessed by utilizing the virtual space. There is a unifying force that can be present through the use of virtual worlds. Over social media and virtual worlds such as Second Life, individuals and groups can be brought together over vast geographical spaces into a community where they can interact and project common beliefs and ideas out into the real world space. Black twitter and anonymous are examples of ideologies and organizations that have held great power within the virtual sphere. These groups have contained people from all different geographical locations, walks of life, and social standing and have organized them around a common belief system. These individuals, over the platform of social media, have then acted as a group to achieve their goal. The anonymity that the virtual world allows for gives a haunting presence of the virtual world within the real world. At times it can be difficult to tell who is involved in these virtual identities which gives the virtual world a sort of cloak of secrecy that gives those in the virtual world the freedom to express themselves in any way that they see fit. 

The real world’s interaction with the virtual is complicated and ever changing. Neither the virtual or the real can avoid the influence of the other, and no “self” is completely separate from the other “selves.” The real world and the virtual world are constantly interacting and colliding, influencing the way that individuals view themselves and each other. The virtual self introduces new questions and ideas about the possibilities for “self” and the relationships and interactions that become possible in the new social space. The virtual space is a whole new world of possibilities that offers freedoms and ideas that have the power to bring to life different social experiences and new ideas of “self.”