Virtual “sweet relationships” in Japan: Navigating affection through technology. Communal practices, behaviors, and latent socio-cultural meaning

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33539/comunife.2022.n22.2684

Abstract

A number of Japanese VRChat users practice “sugar” (osatō). The term implies a “couple acting cute with one another.” Through qualitative textual analysis of twenty-six blog posts published by the practitioners and in depth-interviews of eleven authors, this paper investigates “sugar” behaviors, rituals, and latent socio-cultural meanings. This pioneering paper about the phenomenon contri- butes to the de-westernization of studies about virtual affective practices. The findings conclude that by extending their bodies through avatars, individuals prese temporally “hack” hegemonic expectations.

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Author Biography

Liudmila Bredikhina, University of Ginebra Ginebra-Suiza

(Ph.D., registration in process) Department of Gender & Sexualities, Faculty for Social Wellbeing, Uni versity of Malta 2022 (August – September), Master’s Degree in Asian Studies by Sophia University Tokyo. Summer course in Japanese Culture
Bachelor’s degree in visual communication with orientation in Graphic Design by ECAL (École Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne). 2022, First prize-winner of Prix Genre (Prize Gender), organized by Geneva University, Switzerland.
2019, Finalist of Vetch Challenge, organized by GREE VR Studio Laboratory, Japan

Published

2022-12-06

How to Cite

Bredikhina, L. (2022). Virtual “sweet relationships” in Japan: Navigating affection through technology. Communal practices, behaviors, and latent socio-cultural meaning. Comunifé, 22(XXII), 53–62. https://doi.org/10.33539/comunife.2022.n22.2684