Nakamura has been studying identity in digital spaces since the 1990s. She recalled an early experience in a graphical chat room called the Palace:
So I was given an avatar randomly, and I was given a black female avatar. So I came into the chat room, and someone was talking to me. They were very friendly. And the first thing they said was, “Let me help you find a new head and body.”
And I said, “Really, why do you want to do that?”…
This person didn't know if I was black or a woman, but they wanted me to look different.
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