In Cybersociety 2.0: Revisiting Computer-Meditated Communication and Community by Steven G. Jones, chapter 5 ( Gender, Mask and Masquerade in Virtual Culture) explores the trend of using the internet as a vehicle for experimenting with one's gender identity through typed text. When a woman is masquerading as a man or vice versa , this is called textual masquerading . The typed text provides the mask. Because of the playful and impersonal atmosphere, many people feel free to express themselves in a way that they feel that they are not able to do in their everyday lives. Gender swapping is not the only trend that is growing in cyberspace. Many people have chosen to keep their gender anonymous is order to experiment in living in a gender free society. While the reason for textual masquerading on the internet varies , many people are able live double or multiple lives in cyberspace.
*Cybersociety 2.0: Revisiting Computer-Meditated Communication and Community can be found at google.books.com
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Here is a link to article entitled "Gender Swapping on the Internet"
ftp://ftp.cc.gatech.edu/pub/people/asb/papers/gender-swapping.txt
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