Between Worlds: What VRChat, Korean Sign Language, and a Curious Researcher Can Teach Us About Digital Life
Researcher by training, designer by instinct — reflecting on VR, Deaf culture, and digital life.
By Christine Ji-Young Kim, PhD student in Anthropology at UC Irvine
안녕하세요! Hello and welcome — whether you found me through my website or are meeting me here for the first time 👋
I’m Christine 지영 — a PhD student at UC Irvine studying anthropology, technology, and Deaf culture in virtual spaces. I also do design, code a little, and once built a website overnight because my advisor sparked something in me over a 30-minute chat about life.
(That website is now drwiseflower.me — yes, that’s a real URL.)
But today, I want to talk about something bigger:
what it means to live, sign, and connect in spaces that were never built with you in mind.
👾 Scene: You’re in VRChat
You’re surrounded by avatars — some anime, some hyperreal, some pure chaos.
But you’re not playing a game. You’re chatting. Hanging out.
And in one corner, a group is signing — Korean Sign Language.
The movement is fluid. Expressive. Embodied.
They’re Deaf. And they’ve made this world work for them.
This is where my research lives:
in the spaces between platforms and people, language and embodiment, glitch and grace.
🧠 What I’m Studying — and Why
I study how Korean Deaf users use VRChat to build new ways of connecting — not just socially, but linguistically and culturally.
It’s not just about accessibility.
It’s about agency.
How do people make space in digital environments that weren’t designed with them in mind?
What does sign language look like in a body that isn’t human?
How does culture transform when it’s mediated through motion tracking, avatars, and virtual presence?
These aren’t just academic questions.
They’re human ones.
🎨 Sometimes, the words aren’t enough — so I draw.
I made this 4-page comic in 2021 when I was working on a different project. It’s one way I try to translate complex research into something more embodied and human.
Read it like an open comic book: start from the top row (left to right, pages 1 & 2), then move to the bottom row (left to right, pages 3 & 4).
✨ Note: I drew this back in June 2021, before I really understood how to make visual work accessible. I didn’t know the lingo or the best practices yet — but I’m learning. If you’d like a written description or alt text, feel free to reach out, and I’ll be happy to create one.
👣 Where I’m Coming From
I’m a multilingual, mixed-discipline researcher who’s lived in enough “in-between” spaces to be obsessed with how people build belonging.
I’ve worked as a simultaneous interpreter.
I’ve made comics about research.
I’ve done UX and dabbled in AI ethics work.
And I’m currently learning Korean Sign Language — slowly, imperfectly, and with a lot of help.
So when I say I care about how people communicate beyond words — I mean it.
It’s not just my dissertation. It’s personal.
🛠 This Medium Series: What to Expect
Here, I’ll be writing about:
✍️ Stories from the field (yes, even virtual ones have “fields”)
🤖 Thoughts on accessibility, design, and platform politics
📚 Reflections on the messy, human side of research
💬 How sign languages and avatars reshape each other
Whether you’re an anthropologist, a Deaf community member, a designer, a curious VRChat user, or just someone interested in how people build digital lives — I hope you’ll find something here that resonates.
💌 Let’s Stay in Touch
If you want to see the bigger picture — my ongoing work, visuals, portfolio, and nerdy rants — feel free to visit my personal site: drwiseflower.me.
Or just follow me here — I’m planning to write regularly(ish), with care and curiosity.
Thanks for being here — whether you’re a fellow researcher, a curious VR traveler, or someone who loves learning how people connect across boundaries.
In this space, I learn, listen, and sign — studying how people build belonging through embodiment, gesture, and digital worlds.
