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

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.