1 
 

 Katleho Mofolo 

Student No.: 2262748 

MA Digital Arts: Part Time 

 

DIGITAL AVATAR DESIGN AND SOCIAL MASKS:  

THE ATAVISM OF TOTEMIC-STORYTELLING 

 

Keywords:  

Avatars | Totems | Storytelling | Lineage | End-user | Brand | Design | UX and UI 

 

  



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Table of Contents 

 

I. Abstract           03 

 

II. Aim            04 

 

1. Introduction:  

-  Homo Sapiens meet the Homo Narran, Homo Faber and Homo Luden    09 

-  The need to be heard: The sound, transformation and shape of a Phoenix—Totemic Mnemonics  10 

-  Digital Atavism through Anthropology: Primitive forms of virtual reality: Progression of Masks  17 

-  Digital Identity Extensions and Unity via Community      20 

 

2. Laying the Foundation: Virtue in the Virtual through totems     27 

- Avatars and Totems: Foundation for Social Behavior Design     28 

- Augmented Reality - Bits and Atoms        30 

- Avatar value in Storytelling         32 

- Avatarial Interactions: The scent of ethics       36 

- Avatarial self-maladies: The multiplicity of social representation     43 

- The Digital Native and the Moral circle       48 

- On Self-knowledge and the totem        59 

 

3. Shapeshifting narratives:  

Fables as: Stories | Totems | Digital Avatars Embodiment and Disincarnation     90 

- Stages of Shapeshifting         92 

- Avatar my UI, Totem my UX         93 

- Mimetic Storytelling          98 

 
4. Ashes to Ashes:  

New Beginnings           102 

- Let there be algorithms         104 

- Fluid utility of Avatars         106 

- Skills Transfer: Totems teaching Avatars       108 

- Teaming up with the best          117 

 

5. Utility Matters: The Avatarial Phoenix Flying High      112 

Brain Computer Interface & Biomimetic Design        

Case Study (Daimler’s AVTR)         117 

 

6. Conclusion: Virtue in the Virtual 

- Digital Need for Moral Imagination        122 

 

 

 



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Abstract 
 

Humans, often known as Homo sapiens, have long had a strong desire to create their own identities, 

both biologically and artistically. The human being is a storyteller who makes sense of the world 

through a chronological and linear pattern of narrations. Humans, on the other hand, have 

broadened storytelling through a variety of immersive means more than any other living organism. 

Some of these interactive approaches are becoming increasingly (1) digital, (2) augmented, and are 

now rapidly moving toward (3) virtual reality —the metaverse. These universes contradict our 

understanding of the physical world. Second worlds, alternative worlds, and the parallel universe are 

all terms used to describe worlds and spaces designed for extended human social interaction. In the 

21st century is there enough progressive value and a sense of ethical evolution in the way humans 

communicate stories and alter social identity relationships to beam virtue into the virtual? 

 



4 
 

Aim 

 

The importance and significance of Totemism have slipped through the cracks of historical 
narratives, particularly in narratives about identity, social organisation, and behavioural 
design. Totemism was abandoned near the end of the nineteenth century, and it faded out 
of social design systems. Because of the rapid development of digital arts and their users, 
Totemism was perceived to have primitive concepts. The twentieth century followed a 
period in which humanity was introduced to electricity and city lights. The fusion of digital, 
art, and technology during this time period gradually led to the disappearance of the totem 
in digital (art) narratives. The convergence of technology, digital, and art influenced users to 
reconsider concepts such as identity, storytelling, systemic organisation, and social-
behavioural design. As such, totemic values gradually got out of step with the end-user 
because the user grew more inclined to the newly popular digital and virtual platforms. 
While the Post-modernism movement boldly defied the ubiquitous timeworn art dogma, for 
example, Neo-classicism, Realism and Impressionism, this defiance also included Totemism 
and its influences. During this rebellion, Post-modernism digitally, consequently and 
unintentionally transformed and reincarnated the totem to what we now refer to as an 
avatar. 
 
The avatar, true to its name by definition is a reincarnation. The avatar has re-introduced 
itself in various forms on augmented reality (AR), digital1 and virtual spaces. The word 
‘avatar’ is commonly associated with digital and virtual jargon. However, the word avatar in 
Hinduism, (a religion with deep Indian heritage) affirms that when earth creatures or 
humans die, their spirits live on and get rejuvenated in another earthly body form, as an 
avatar, “ - a god who appears on earth as a person”2. An avatar by classification is a visual 
representation of disembodiment from a deity form (myth/spirit representation) to an 
earthly embodiment (‘reality’3/physical representation) in a human or creature form. 
Mythological Egyptian and Greek legends often depict avatarial and totemic stories of demi-
god embodiments mostly in creature form.  
 
Some of these common visual similes and metaphors display an avatarial and totemic 
creature known as a phoenix, rising from the ashes of its ancestor bird4. This mural artwork 
and visual representation is symbolic of rebirth and reproduction, indicative of the fluidity 
and the evolutionary nature of biological life; the rapid inevitable advancements in art, 
cultural nuances and technology. This idea of rebirth and re-introduction is to a certain 
degree reminiscent of Walter Benjamin’s perspectives in his essay called “The Work of Art in 
the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”. Benjamin states that; “In principle a work of art has 
always been reproducible. Man-made artifacts could always be imitated by men.”  Replicas 

                                                           
1
 See the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender created by Michael Dante Di Martino and Bryan Konietzko; and the 

film Avatar written and produced by James Cameron. 
2
 The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.  

3
 This also refers to digital reality immersion and representations as utilised by end-users on augmented and virtual reality. 

4
 Originally demonstrated as a Bennu or a Yellow Wagtail, now usually depicted as an eagle, a hawk or falcon. Hieroglyphics 

will also be used, as an example as my paper makes use of examples associated with semiotics, fables and mostly African 
mythology. 

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0227204/?ref_=tt_ov_wr
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1665983/?ref_=tt_ov_wr


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were made by pupils in practice of their craft, by masters for diffusing their works, and 
finally, by third parties in the pursuit of gain” (1969, p. 2). Similarly, the digital and virtual 
avatar in the 21st century rises from the ancient ashes of the avatar’s precursor, the totem, 
echoing a theme of reproduction. As a result, the end-user gets a broadened agency and 
autonomy to rise and rejuvenate itself as an external representation in other worlds; this is 
a digital and artistic disembodiment called an avatar.  
 
Further, in my paper, I will show how in African antiquity, Shamans, through Totemism, 
illustrate a similar avatarial disembodiment, although this was for desires of spiritual realm 
explorations5. There are similarities between a totem and an avatar when the word totem is 
defined. According to Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama (2009, p. 666) the word totem is 
defined as follows6. 
 

In Africa, a totem (mitupo in the Shona language of Zimbabwe) is any animal or object that is 
considered a guardian, protector, or assistant7 to an ethnic group, clan, or family. An African 
totem is identified with a kinship or descent lineage. When the apical ancestor of a kinship 
group is non human, it is called a totem…  
 

In Africa and most of the American-Indian regions, comparable to avatars, totems were 
symbolic identities and external alternate representations for human beings (end-users). 
Samuel Kipkemei Kigen’s etymological definition of totem is as follows, “The word “totem” 
originates from Ojibwa (Chippewa) which is an Algonquian-speaking language. It is from the 
word ototeman which means ‘his brother-sister kin.'” (2018, p.14).  
 
Totemism as design also provided the end-user with ethical affordance and moral agency as 
alluded above by Asante and Mazama. Additionally, totems could also be tactile and 
acoustic. Hey Mercedes (MBUX8) and Siri to name just a few, are both digital assistants in a 
form of acoustic Avatarial-Totems. Siri is Apple’s virtual customer-service personal assistant 
and likewise Hey Mercedes provides personalized customer service too, through voice 
interaction. These are nonhuman guardians, assistants and digital deities. Because of 
western norms and naming conventions, gender role ideologies in both Hey Mercedes and 
Siri frequently lead to end-users assuming that Siri for an example, is a gender stereotype 
and a subservient gender embodiment. Moreover, patriarchal notions arise, Hey Mercedes 
and Siri to name a few are frequently misidentified or thought to be ‘female’ which is an 
incorrect notion. Even though Siri is an otherworldly entity and assistant, often times the 
voice is female which subliminally condones female servitude. But then again society has 
been covertly made to think of this as a norm; for example, the default acoustic avatar is 
often female on these tech and digital platforms although some platforms in the ‘settings’ 
provide the user with options to change the voice into a male one. Considering modern 

                                                           
5
 My intent is to avoid discussing religion, although totemism derives from elementary religion building blocks such as 

animism and naturism. When discussing totemism, it is critical that I support my views using anthropology as a study that 
highlights bits of shamanism. On spiritual disembodiment themes, I intend to use gaming examples and case studies to 
illustrate my point. 
6
 I will discuss digital & virtual avatars and totems with narratives from African stories and perspectives. Although avatars 

and totems are not exclusively African concepts, my paper aims to discuss ideas of totemic and avatarial embodiment and 
disembodiment with some supportive theories derived outside the African continent i.e. North/South-America, Asia and 
Australasia 
7
 This theme within digital avatars is often seen in first-person shooter video games 

8
 Mercedes Benz User Experience 



6 
 

social intersubjective biases on gender, Donna J Haraway was particularly not far off from 
the truth when she stated that;  
 

In the “Western” sense, the end of man is at stake. It is no accident that woman disintegrates 
into women in our time. Perhaps socialist-feminists were not substantially guilty of producing 
essentialist theory that suppressed women’s particularity and contradictory interests. I think 
we have been, at least through unreflective participation in the logics, languages, and 
practices of white humanism and through searching for a single ground of domination to 
secure our revolutionary voice. (2016, p. 27) 

 
While ‘voice’ as put by Haraway in this instance is not meant to be taken literally. It should 
be noted that the female voice however keeps on being introduced as subservient more 
than putting emphasis on its feminine value. Totemism had valuable insights that could curb 
such instances within its social design systems.  I would however like to emphasise to the 
reader that my essay does not aim to argue about political and social representations of 
gender masculinity and femininity. 
 
In other digital spaces that are not too opposite from the digital world of Siri and MBUX. In 
the digital gaming world when an end-user is obliged to digitally assist and embody a lead 
character within a game. Kratos9 in David Jaffe’s game God of War for example — Kratos 
the main character becomes a living deity with physical attributes while occupying a digital 
embodiment. Kratos possesses acoustic traits too like Siri and MBUX through the game’s 
narration via ‘voice’ however the end-user assists his movements in the form of navigation 
and play. Then like Siri and MBUX Kratos also lends himself as an assistant-avatar to help the 
end-user explore and navigate the videogame’s story. His voice is not subservient true to his 
nature and character (compare with Tomb Raider’s Lora Craft). Similarly, Asante and 
Mazama add that, when speaking of assumed other world deity embodiments within a 
totemic realm; 
 

…Many African ethnic groups or clans claim their descent from animals such as antelopes, 
monkeys, lions, horses, dogs, eagles, or leopards. When a group presents itself to the world, it 
normally represents itself through a totemic narrative that explains how the particular people 
emerged from the kindness, fortune, tenderness, wisdom, or courage of a particular non-
human animal. (2009, p. 666) 

 
When gamers or end-users, for example, transform into Kratos or a non-human animal, 
such as SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog. They re-appear in the digital world of gaming as an 
avatar that subtly mimics ideas of totem representations, but is frequently devoid of ethics 
because Totemism typically underpins and promotes sacredness of self in its utility.  
The end-users’ personification as this totemic-avatar “claims his descent” and assists to 
better narrate an avatarial plot “that explains how the particular character emerged”. Yes, I 
argue that digitally Kratos does indeed through interaction and symbiosis with the end-user 
or gamer assumes totemic qualities, they become one. If Kratos is happy, the end-user is 
happy too; if Kratos is furious, the end-user imitates that in play and interaction, if Kratos is 
a killer the end-user automatically justifies the totemic nature and right to killing and 
vengeance.  

                                                           
9
 A videogame character on a game called God of War. An end-user cannot follow the narrative unless they embody Kratos 

in the digital gaming realm. 



7 
 

The end-user automatically becomes a killer in the digital world. The rejection of acts of 
murder by the end-user while playing through Kratos, perhaps based on the end-users 
retaliation and moral stance in real life against murder will shun the continuity of Kratos’ 
narrative, and the game will seize to develop and unravel its story. Contrary to that, by 
playing the game inadvertently the end-user becomes a reincarnation and reinforcement of 
such murderous and vengeful values that the character embodies. 
 
The following chapters will show how the totem, as opposed to the avatar, has a more 
centripetal core design in relation to the end-user. Avatars are linguistically related to 
totems by definition, but in reality they exhibit somewhat centrifugal behavior. The purpose 
of this paper is to take readers on a journey through digital avatarism, its metamorphosis, 
and its subtle coup against totemism. Furthermore, as outlined by Haraway, “Modern 
machines are quintessentially microelectronic devices: they are everywhere and they are 
invisible. Modern machinery is an irreverent upstart god, mocking the Father’s ubiquity and 
spirituality.” (2016, p. 12-13). Exactly what the avatar is proving to do in the 21st century10.   
 
My essay will explain chronologically how avatarism's lineage can and should be traced back 
to Totemism, and how both totems and avatars play a role in identity creation, social 
organisation & interaction, and social behavioural design.  Could contemporary avatarial 
design and avatar embodiment for online interactivity limit the value of end-user ethics, 
storytelling and identity meaning making? Are augmented, digital and virtual avatars a 
beginning to the latest industrial revolution and the evolution of post-modernism’s social 
narcissism; or could this be a reintroduction of a newly formed umbilical cord to post-
humanist atavistic and rather totemic digital identities and values now called avatars? 

 

 

 

                                                           
10

 I will further discuss this point through Microsoft Teams and Meta’s (AKA Facebook) introduction of the metaverse and 
3D avatar use in 2022 



8 
 

Chapter 1 

Introduction 

 

Second Life, among others, functions as a kind of parallel universe or fantasy world. Similarly, young 
kids on Club Penguin, or slightly older children on Gaia, are creating versions of themselves that interact 
with others online. In virtual worlds, the key act of identity formation is the creation of an “avatar”—a 
virtual representation of the computer user. (Palfrey and Gasser 2008, p. 28). 

 
 
 
This research aims to investigate and analyze the historical developments of identity and 

storytelling in twenty-first-century digital design systems. In this chapter, I aim to provide 

the reader with an understanding and comprehension of storytelling as a human rhetorical 

tool. I will start with the significance of storytelling and how it has evolved over time. This 

chapter will delve into the crux of human historical narrative methods for artistically 

conveying messages and designing self-identities. This is to better understand my central 

research question of atavism evident in today's digital avatar use as a contemporary form of 

totem storytelling and creating the next iterations of self-identity. I refer to this as ‘the next 

iteration of Totems’ —Digital Avatars. In this information age, the end-user has more 

control than ever before.  It is critical to point out that humans have finally arrived at a point 

in history where the Liberal Arts and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and 

Mathematics) are merging. As a result, we see both humans and brands growing the desire 

to consolidate their identity and develop authentic narratives to put the end-user/client 

first. This may be in business, gaming, film, the military-industrial complex, capitalism and 

consumerism. Totems have been used as a way of storytelling, social organization, and 

identity design throughout history. In augmented, digital and virtual spaces, I'm particularly 

interested in the Totem's next iteration, as alluded to above, the digital avatar. 

Furthermore, the research aims to make sense of the digital avatar's lineage in the twenty-

first century, and its impact on future narrative-self values in virtual and digital mimesis 

ideologies. However, first, we will be exploring the developments of storytelling. 

Because of modern taxonomy, humankind narcissistically and popularly referred to itself in 
the mid-eighteenth century as the "wise man," also known as Homo sapiens. Binomial 
nomenclature is a system of naturally defining species and genera of organisms into a 
holistic classification introduced by Swedish botanist Carl von Linné. Humans, on the other 
hand, rarely refer to themselves as Homo Narran, even though we have demonstrated a 
deep need to use rhetoric as our identity bedrock since antiquity. These narratives have 
been told and demonstrated in various ways throughout history, as the Homo Narran 
gradually deployed and associated itself with signs, gestures, sounds, and stories. In 
essence, the human being is the 'narrative man' who thinks. Aside from survival, the primary 
nature of humans is a desire to be seen, noticed, and heard. We want to tell our stories and 
imprint our sense of self in the spaces we inhabit. Simply put, "we know what things in the 
world are because they have names and meaning," writes PJ Fourie in Media Studies (2018, 



9 
 

p. 86) As a result, we live in a highly symbolic universe. Symbols are extensions of 
storytelling; humans, the Homo Narran create them. The act of telling a story is not a simple 
and linear process. It is a complex process that is intertwined with a multiplicity of 
interactive activities that I will refer to as play. However, that aspect of play will be clarified  
later in detail. 
 
 
Homo Sapiens11 meets the Homo Narran12, Homo Faber13 and Homo Ludens14  
 
According to Johan Huizinga in his book Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play Element in 
Culture, play forms as an essential aspect and activity in culture. Huizinga observes the 
following in a historical context and chronological sequence of events; 
 

A HAPPIER age than ours once made bold to call our species by the name of Homo Sapiens. In 
the course of time we have come to realise that we are not so reasonable after all, as the 
Eighteenth Century with its worship of reason and its naive optimism, thought us; hence 
modern fashion inclines to designate our species as Homo Faber: Man the Maker. But though, 
faber may not be quite so dubious as sapiens, as a name specific of the human being, even 
less appropriate, seeing that many animals too are makers. There is a third function, however, 
applicable to both human and animal life, and just as important as reasoning and making—
namely, playing. It seems to me that next to Homo Faber, and perhaps on the same level as 
Homo Sapiens, Homo Ludens, Man the Player, deserves a place in our nomenclature.  
(1944, p. 5) 

 
Huizinga highlights the importance of the element of play in a human’s social interactivities. 
We become wiser and more knowledgeable because of our life experiences. And this history 
has always occurred because of human’s repetitive patterns of social interactivity and play. 
As a result, we learn through imitation, recording, attempting, and rhetoric. In caves, 
ancient human civilisations used rock art, sculpture, pre-historic flint tools, and hand 
printing to communicate and play. Despite the existence of augmented reality, digital, and 
virtual worlds, humans in a contemporary pop culture still have an atavistic need to do the 
same. In Hollywood, for example, we frequently see this repetitive and atavistic tradition 
(see figure 1). Essentially, humans want to attach their identity and engage in meaningful 
interactions that leave a lasting legacy. 
 
Humans continue to self-extend through totemic narrative means such as text, texture, 
image, and brands in the form of books, clothing, and videogames. Furthermore, we extend 
ourselves and tell our stories through academia, wars, architectural monuments and 
monoliths, performance, and acoustics. The nature of constant human invention or 
development — whether in literature, performance, fashion, architecture, technology, etc. 
— appears to be influenced far too frequently by atavistic influences. This has become 
something of a Homo Narran historical pattern. Atavism is defined as “a tendency to revert 
to something ancient or ancestral.” Biologically it means “recurrence of traits of an ancestor 

                                                           
11

 The Wiseman 
12

 The Storyteller 
13

 Man the maker 
14

 Man the player 



10 
 

in a subsequent generation.”15 Humans have evolved and advanced relatively quickly 
compared to other organisms, yet we constantly revert to prior experiences, our former 
historic memories and ancient self-concepts. We could say that humans have the ability to 
embody both mythology and non-fiction in their daily lives. Our biological evolution and 
technological advancements are the embodiment of both fact and legend. On the other 
hand in the advanced digital space, in a journal by Nathan Jurgenson; Jurgenson puts it in a 
manner of Atoms meeting Bits when discussing the augmentation of the physical and the 
digital. We will unpack this notion further in the essay. 
 
The Phoenix, which I intend to use as a visual metaphor in my paper, exemplifies the human 
lineage in terms of their experiences, digital explorations, self-transformations, and social 
inventions. The collected data will highlight the atavism(s) that are constantly observed and 
used in the Totem's next iteration, which is the digital avatar (or as a digital avatar). I chose 
the Phoenix as my defining metaphor for this paper. Harold J. Goldes provides a similar 
example but of digital utility and, of course, atavism in digital advancements by referencing 
old media, saying the following: 
 

“In the design of many interactive applications, the defining metaphor has been print media.  
In these applications, the operations used to access information indicates their print cognates. 
"Paging" is a term that describes the user's movement from frame to frame. "Scrolling" 
describes the movement of the user through the text but with a different source metaphor; 
text printed on a scroll (a fascinating juxtaposition of old and new media models). The user 
maneuvers a window "up" and "down" over the text. Some arrangements require left and right 
scrolling, too.” (1983, p.12) 

 
 

 
Figure 1: Left - Cueva de las Manos (Spanish for Cave of Hands) a series of caves in Argentina, circa 9,000 years ago | Right - Michael Jackson  

Tribute Exhibit at Madame Tussauds in New York City, 2010 

 
Atavism - Avatars & Totems as Mnemonics 

 
The need to be heard:  

The sound, transformation and shape of a phoenix: Totemic Mnemonics 
 

Despite all the changes that have taken place in biological science over the last 100 years, most people still believe 
that the world is, ordered according to a hierarchical Scale of Nature with unicellular organisms at its base and Man 

at the top. This is not surprising since, from the moment of birth, people in the Western world are ruled by 
hierarchies, first in the family, then in education, and on through adulthood (Clutton-Brock  1995, p.435). 

                                                           
15

 www.lexico.com 



11 
 

 
 
Earlier I made mention of self-extension through acoustics. The word acoustics originates 
from the Greek term akoustos, which means “Heard.” A baby's cry, for example, 
immediately after birth, represents the Homo Narran's first stamp of acoustic rhetoric. The 
audible weeping of a baby is a sign of life, an initial introduction and induction to 
independent breathing and life experience. Furthermore, a heartbeat audible with 
technological tools such as a stethoscope represents a distinct acoustic mnemonic that is 
indicative of being alive. In some ways, looking for a pulse with one's fingertips is akin to 
looking for a 'throbbing' mnemonic indicative of life. A human that has used this technique, 
remembers from experience what the sound or throbbing means because of prior practice. 
Mnemonics are also known colloquially as memory tricks because they are fundamentally 
memory aid techniques. Avatars and totems visually help the user to remember but not all 
avatars and totems are visual. Avatars and Totems can be purely audible. Similarly, in many 
African rituals, the beating of a particular drum and its distinct sound signifies a reminder 
and a call for the coming alive of a ceremony. Just like in Christian architecture a church bell 
would be typically rung; to announce the beginning of a religious ritual. Quintessentially, 
both these audible ‘beats’ imply the action of coming alive, verve and existence. These 
acoustic mnemonic methods are used for their narrative utility, they assist and serve as a (1) 
call to action, (2) feedback and, more importantly, (3) memory retention. Sometimes they 
serve as ‘audio’ narrative reminders. Utility will be a term that comes out repeatedly in this 
paper. As a social design value, utility will be one of the bedrocks I will employ as a chosen 
qualitative metric to measure avatar and totem use. Figure 9 later in the essay distinguishes 
notable and comparative qualities between avatars and totems. Utility as a value or metric 
is within the list. Some further discussions will also refer to the aesthetic features of totems 
and avatars.  
 
Nokia, the electronics and information technology Finnish company popularly known for 
telecommunications, preceded digital and tech organisations by using audio-mnemonics. 
The 19th century founded company (1865), introduced their default chime for their slogan 
Connecting People taking an overtly atavistic visual stance. Nokia referenced the early 16th-
century artistic movements. They made use of Roman Renaissance art and intellectual styles 
within their mobile phone tech; Nokia mimicked The Creation of Adam16 by Michelangelo di 
Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni to meet their creative marketing needs. When the end-user 
switches on their Nokia mobile phone, the user-interface displays two hands; a young hand 
and an adult hand on opposite sides of the screen appear. The hands reach out and 
eventually touch one another. Michelangelo’s artwork implied the same act; he painted 
‘God’s’ hand reaching out to touch ‘Adam’s’ hand. On the Nokia interface, the end-user 
sonically hears a 4 seconds long musical sound. This acoustic mnemonic later got a 
multinational avatarial association with brand Nokia every time end-users heard it. As a 
result, the user did not need to see the company’s logo or devices to know to which brand 
the sound belonged. For example, a cinema audience could be watching a movie and one of 
the character’s mobile phone rings with that chime, the audience would automatically know 
the device or prop is a Nokia. The (audio) mnemonic thus always served as a memory trick 
to remind customers of the brand story. 

                                                           
16

 Sistine Chapel ceiling. 1511. Fresco. Vatican Palace, Rome. 



12 
 

 
 

 
Figure 2: Atavism within visual storytelling – Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam (Left), Nokia's Connecting People (middle), E.T. Movie 

Poster (Right) 

 
Scan Quick Response code to listen to the Nokia Mnemonic evolution 

 

 
Figure 3: Atavism in 21st century visual storytelling – Microsoft referencing Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam and Nokia (Instagram - 

2022) 

 
 
Miguel Arisa (2008, p. 1287) in Encyclopeadia of Society and Culture, although specifically 
referring to the North and South American populations and cultures such as the Olmec, the 
Aztec, the Maya, the Zapotec, and the Mixtec. He acknowledges early forms of memory 
retention techniques, which link to Homo Narran storytelling developments and methods. 
Arisa explains how some (avatarial and totemic) ideas where identified and notes how; 
 

“Writing was cunningly used for political advantage in identifying rulers and deities and 
driving the propaganda machine of the powerful…, …Some of these writing systems date to as 
early as 1500 B.C.E. At a very early stage in the Formative Period (as early as 1800 B.C.E.), 
elaborately carved icons in stone served the purpose of representing concepts… The earliest 
forms of writing were highly pictorial, and their most important function was to record dates 



13 
 

and the names of government officials and rulers. The illustration of myths, liturgical 
instructions, and mnemonic devices cannot be ruled out in the more developed stages.”  
 

While Arisa unravels some aspects of the development of narration across the Atlantic 
Ocean. Asante and Mazama complement Arisa’s views of ancient means of narration but 
catapult us back to West Africa near Burkina Faso in the region of Mali. They report on 
early totemic practices that are said to be complex, associated with places regarded as 
sacred by the Dogon. The Dogon are a highly rooted and intelligent indigenous ethnic 
group of Mali. Some of these African spaces and places are said to have been used for 
ancestral communication, agricultural sacrifices and worship. These totemic practices are 
called Binu. 

 

“The religious rituals of the Dogon are one public expression of a much more complex 
underlying cosmological tradition that, according to Griaule and Dieterlen, pervades all 
aspects of Dogon life. Griaule perceives cosmological symbolism in each of the daily acts of 
Dogon life; for an example, the method that the Dogon use when weaving a cloth or when 
plowing a field, the number of threads that hang from a fiber skirt, the number of years 
between ritual observances, or even the way that sound reverberates as it leaves the mouth 
of a Dogon person. These symbolic aspects of daily life support and reinforce what Griaule 
and Dieterlen see as an orally transmitted cosmological tradition founded on a kind of 
societal system of mnemonics.” – Encyclopeadia of African Religion (2009: p. 215). 

 
Many digital and tech brands now tell their stories using various avatarial sounds as 
narratives. Similarly, as previously stated, totemism in several African cultures used 
mnemonics to tell stories. In the 21st century, the Apple Technology Company Inc. and 
Microsoft’s Windows Operating System also have atavistic samples of signature mnemonic 
identities. Their users distinctively recognise their digital and audible 'avatar-chimes. Macs’ 
ubiquitous and often the end-user’s favourite mnemonic sound has a nostalgic essence of 
an Asian Gong17 which originates from the 7th century.  

18 
Listen to Mac’s famous startup chime (0:41) – Power Macintosh G3 

 
A drum or a gong could serve as a society’s totemic medium to help the natives or a people 
of a particular tribe to gather around and recite cultural rituals. It also helps to memorise 
these calls sonically. The Online Encyclopedia Britannica defines mnemonic (memory aid) as: 
 

                                                           
17

 Gong instruments are traditionally used like African drums in various ceremonies or rituals 

(https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Gong/History)  
18

 Notice how the QR codes develop an avatarial look and feel which can be likened to digital ‘totemic’ tattoos. 



14 
 

“…any device for aiding the memory. Named [after] Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory 
in Greek mythology, mnemonics are also called, memoria technica (Latin: “memory 
technique”). The principle is to create in the mind an artificial structure that incorporates 
unfamiliar ideas or, especially, a series of dissociated ideas that by themselves are difficult to 
remember. Ideally, the structure is designed so that its parts are mutually suggestive.” (2022) 

 
This mutually suggestive design is a key element housed in the idea of mnemonics. Making 
some ideas in narrative intricacies easier to merge and thus remember. Substantiating some 
of these complicated mnemonic ideas in the medical space, Kerbs and Van Drie report in a 
research paper called The Art of Stethoscope Use: Diagnostic Listening Practices of Medical 

Physicians and 'Auto-Doctors'; 
 

“Clinical examination text books have been used to standardise the acquisition of these 
audile skills for over a century. If practical experience is the key for learning the skill, 
textbooks equally contain pertinent information: 'Physical diagnosis is a technical skill and it 
can only be learned through practice, but written guidance is essential mastery of this 
discipline. Besides explanations of the range of problems perceivable by sound, the bases of 
the semiotic system, and the regulated steps of examination, the textbooks often give 
practical advice to help the student during clinical training. Specifically, they included tips 
concerning stethoscope technique, as well as metaphors and mnemonic devices for 
remembering sounds” (2014, p.104) 

 
As complicated as this learning of stethoscope utility might seem, it is clear that even in the 
medical space the use of mnemonics for memory retention is still vital. This element of 
perception through sound reverberates above. Additionally, this indicates an early example 
in my paper about the cyborg-augmented self. We see technology (being the stethoscope) 
meeting and partly fusing with the flesh (Atoms meeting Bits), thus enhancing human 
capabilities as we naturally know them. We will discuss and flesh-out that aspect even 
further in the paper as we continue. Evidently, mnemonic techniques have been applied in 
numerous platforms, cultures and industries. Whereas narrative text is vital for recording 
events, the 20th century saw a pop-cultural rise in mnemonic techniques.  
 
These were used in numerous commercial ads to assist the end-user in recalling specific 
selling points in their products. In the internet space we moved from HTML-based pages and 
embraced audio-visual. The Mercedes-Benz's "Chicken" Magic Body Control TV commercial 
shows an example of audio-visual dominating text. The German luxury automotive brand 
with the ‘avatarial’ three-pointed star produced an ad that does not feature its vehicles at 
all, using very minimal text. The advertisement is metaphorical and features a chicken that 
demonstrates (1) the stability, (2) control, and (3) the AI drive that Mercedes-Benz vehicles 
offer. After watching the ad, the end-user will inevitably remember the advert through 
audio (the song). The luxury automobile giants used Diana Ross’s 1980s song Upside Down, 
written and produced by Chic members Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. The tune was 
bought or rented for mnemonic use; to communicate the vehicle’s state-of-the-art 
technology features while helping the end-user to associate the brand with the song 
covertly. 
 
 
 

https://www.britannica.com/science/memory-psychology
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mnemosyne
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mnemonics
https://www.britannica.com/topic/mind


15 
 

 
Figure 4: Mercedes-Benz “Chicken” Ad - Scan to View Ad. 

Plain Abstract QR code. 

 
Figure 5: Mercedes-Benz “Chicken” Ad - QR Code modified as an avatarial representation with the logo added  

Scan to View Ad. QR Codes may act as avatars. 

 
We are starting to observe visually that Quick Response codes also represent and possess 
abstract and unique avatarial identities.  Their identities extend to their utility attributes - 
they provide the end-user with specific search convenience and information. When taking 
an ethical user services stance, the marketing industry classifies this as enhanced customer 
experience (CX). The stethoscope cited earlier, like the drum used as an example becomes a 
contemporary totemic technology. These technologies can assist as back-up memory aids in 
the Homo-Narran’s contemporary narrative journey by purely using or detecting sound as a 
means of communication. Historically, many wars have taken place because of the 
prohibition of another entity’s sense of unique mnemonic.  
This sound is one’s blueprint, one’s voice and story, i.e. freedom of speech. It forms and 
creates ones avatarial and totemic identity. Thus, this demonstrates historically how vital 
rhetoric is to the Homo Narran's social behavioural design and identity development. 
Humans have fought based on the misinterpretation of mnemonics. Man is fascinated by 
voice and sound and enhances the self through it.19  
 
In lay foundations, denying humans the freedom to tell stories and self-representation 
disrupts man’s sense of identity and meaning-making for self-extension purposes. It 
colonises the self from expression and self-understanding. Consequently, this makes digital 
avatars (and totems) important contemporary storytelling methods for humans. An area 
that requires scrutiny in the digital age for enhanced identity creation and narration. 

                                                           
19

 An emphatic emphasis as alluded in my report, by mnemonic and the use of narrative, rhetoric or storytelling I am not 

limiting my usage of those terms to sound only. Gestures, text, image etc. are included. Totems and avatars make use of 
these storytelling methods for identity creation. Examples of digital gestures as avatars can be signs i.e. gang signs as a GIF 
avatar. Example, on a Humanitarian and political stance, a gestural avatar with a Hitler Salute may insight public 
controversy ethically. 



16 
 

Additionally, avatars are one of the critical ingredients in contemporary identity retention. 
The screening and profiling of users, known as Biometrics, use avatars. Merriam-Webster 
defines biometry (Biometrics) as “the measurement and analysis of unique physical or 
behavioural characteristics (such as fingerprint or voice patterns) especially as a means of 
verifying personal identity”. Digital Avatarism covertly contributes to the unsolicited 
surveillance and identity verification of end-users through Biometrics and electronics e.g. 
devices such as cameras. Ethically this is an attempt to aid modern-day social security. I will 
clarify this point further when discussing the introduction of the internet and the military-
industrial complex. Avatars and Totems are fundamentally an extension of freedom of 
speech. As Bailenson and Beall, (2006, p. 1) stated, “Historically, even before the advent of 
computers, people have demonstrated a consistent practice of extending their identities”. 
People are constantly inspired by intrinsic values to articulate and share their evolution 
through stories, for reasons of legacy and self-actualisation. 
 

 
Figure 6: Maslow Hierarchy of Needs, top of the pyramid depicts self-actualisation 

 
A literal example of utility and aesthetic likeness demonstrated in ‘avatar and totem’ 
practice is seen in a mask.  A mask is a symbol of identity extension. Storytelling occurs 
automatically when a person puts on a mask. Traditionally before the digital film, the 
performance and theatrical art spaces used masks as symbols of visual narrative 
representation when performing for audiences. For example, representations for comedy 
and tragedy genres were utilised with mask visual iconography. Some masks were literally 
used to represent a villain or a heroic character. For example, villains would be typically 
seen as a sad facial mask with a frown (tragedy) and a happy mask with jubilant facial 
features (comedy). This may be in the form of a mime actor or during festivals, rituals, 
parties and, in the 21st century, within video game spaces. Could these masks be the original 
blueprint of digital avatars?  
 
If yes, Totems then precede both masks and digital avatars and that should be a key 
reference point if we think of the next iteration of avatars. In the digital space, masks extend 
to what is called skins. PCMag defines skins as follows. “A custom look and feel for a 
graphical interface (GUI). Operating systems and applications may have a built-in selection 



17 
 

of skins or accept new ones from third parties. Also called "themes," skins include the 
background scenes, menu and button styles, colours, fonts, window borders and sometimes 
different arrangements and locations of the elements.” A definition of hardware skins from 
PCMag is that it is “a covering for hardware. There are vinyl coverings that stick onto 
cellphones, iPods, the backs of laptops and the sides of tower cases. They depict myriad 
subjects such as sports, high-tech and fantasy.” 
 

 
Skins for windows – Source: PCMag.com (Image courtesy of Stardock Corporation, Inc., www.stardock.com) 

 
 
Skins are, however, not limited to background scenes or menus. They may be used on video 
game characters. Skins’ constraints are not restricted to altering only the facial features as 
most avatars do, especially as profile pictures on websites. They are designed to act like 
mugshots. Skins however, may be used to alter skin tones, which can represent race for the 
user. They can also be used to change the clothes of a character, indicative of status even in 
the gaming world. Parentzone, who pride themselves as ‘The experts in digital family life’, 
define skins as follows, “A skin is a graphic or audio download which changes the 
appearance of characters in video games. They're purely aesthetic - they don't increase the 
character's abilities or impact the outcome of the game.”  
 
 
Digital Atavism through Anthropology 
Primitive forms of virtual reality: Progression of Masks 
 
When taking the lead from anthropology, a closer observation indicates the evolution of 
avatarism. The early avatar-human-identity iterations went from (1) naturism to (2) 
animatism, then to (3) animism. Eventually, these practices leapfrogged to become (4) 
totemism which inspired art and sculpture to form masks. This led us to the 21st century 
digital, augmented, and virtual (5) avatarism, arguably inspiring digital skins.  
 
In the next chapter, called Laying the foundations, I will give a brief discussion about some 
of these anthropology terms. Furthermore, these historical isms typify primary iterations of 
human immersive experiences in storytelling and identity creation. In virtual space VR, 
goggles are a form of contemporary technological masks. I would argue that VR goggles 
might be on the verge of taking an aesthetic avatarial stance beyond their utility. The 
aesthetic stance I am referring to is similar to modern-day eyewear, for example, brands like 
Ray-Ban and Oakley. Beyond eyewear utility, the brand’s spectacle frame design in the 



18 
 

society we are living in adds to avatarial identity creation and meaning-making. For instance, 
the type of frame one chooses to wear dictates social class, style, possible hobbies, taste or 
even value. This is what avatars do; they act like a contemporary status value system. This 
point will be expanded further later in my paper when I mention semiotics.  
  
Figure 7 shows what might be observed as the first representations of digital avatars in the 
world of NFT 1.0; these are called Cryptopunks. Jacob Kastrenakes in his article describes 
them as follows 
 

“CryptoPunks were one of the earliest NFT projects, and they’ve become increasingly valuable 
as collector’s items. The project, created by Larva Labs in 2017, offered 10,000 small pixel-art 
portraits of people, zombies, aliens, and apes. Each one was algorithmically generated and 
features different attributes, like their hairstyle, glasses, or hat. Some traits are rarer than 
others, and those tend to make for more valuable CryptoPunks.” (theverge.com, 2021) 

 
 

 
Figure 7: Nine CryptoPunks sold together at Christie’s. Image: Christie’s / Larva Labs (Source: The Verge) 

 
As alluded to before, I will be conversing about avatars a lot more in my paper but first, I 
want to discuss the ashes that these avatars arose from like, the proverbial Phoenix. 
Throughout my discussion, I will anecdotally refer to the ancestor phoenix that avatars 
descended from as Totemism or Totem(s). Historically totemism has played a major role in 
being a didactic mask for the self and social narratives.  
 
For instance, the Africans of the Yoruba ethnic groups have a vast historical collection of 
Yoruba masks that were used both aesthetically and functionally. These masks are seen 
today in selected urban marketplaces. They are usually bought by tourists and mass-
produced because of commercial reasons. As a result, they are not necessarily created for 
ritual or ceremonial use but for commercial end goals.  Archaeologically more than being 
aesthetic, these masks served a social didactic role. Yoruba masks (in Nigeria) served as 
storytelling tools and had totemic extensions depending on one’s culture.  
To represent some gods, one needed permission from the elders called the egungun, who 
are also known as a ‘cult of ancestors’. The egungun hold great knowledge about the 

https://www.theverge.com/authors/jacob-kastrenakes


19 
 

tradition and rituals for various spiritual guidance-seeking occasions. The egungun are 
masked figures, as soon as these masks are worn the figures behind the masks cease to be 
human, figuratively. They automatically become disembodied and represent another realm; 
this may be perceived as a primitive form of virtual reality disembodiment. This is 
reminiscent of the same way a gamer in a first shooter game, as an example, assumes 
another body as an avatar in a digital realm. Moreover, this is the same way avatarial 
interactivities in the realm of the metaverse (will) behave; except in the instance 
gatekeepers will not be the egungun but Microsoft Teams’, NVIDIA’s Omniverse and 
Facebook’s Meta developers. I will discuss avatars and the metaverse20 concept towards the 
conclusion of my paper.  
 
Speaking about symbolism embodied by masks and the egungun Gilbert Tarka Fai (2010, p. 

44 -45) notes that;  
 

The egungun society is a special custodian of the ancestral spirits. Basically, it is an attempt to 
reassure people about individual immortality and to diminish the fear of death through the 
dramatic appearance of the ancestral spirits within the world of men. It should be noted that 
not all ancestors have masks dedicated to them21. When a particular ancestor is selected for 
worship, a mask is carved for him. The Ifa Society, a cult of divination, decides which dead are 
to have masks dedicated to them. A member of the egungun is secretly appointed to be a 
mask keeper and dancer. 
 

Fai indicates how masks, in this regard, functioned as totemic symbols, not as art for art’s 
sake hence “not all ancestors have masks dedicated to them”. This helped maintain value 
through scarcity of the physical item. The masks could not be mass-produced as they were 
hand-crafted by certain culturally selected artists. The contemporary version of gaining this 
‘value’ that Yoruba masks had is still done through creating scarcity. This is atavistically 
maintained and demonstrated in today’s Non-Fungible Token artworks. Totemic-ancestral 
masks maintained their value similar to how NFT digital artworks maintain their uniqueness 
today. Of course, in this instance, they maintain this exclusivity through ‘Ethereum or 
Bitcoin’ value, and most importantly, through the community.  
 
I will give a basic meaning and explanation of the virtual although chronologically speaking 
chapters 1 and 2 are broadly more about totemism beginnings and potential virtues that 
totems may pass down to digital and virtual avatars. More about immersive virtual 
technologies will be addressed. The reader will notice that community is a very critical 
element to consider in all three outlined environmental spaces below. The concept of 
community matters in the actual, the digital and the virtual. One may build and design an 
identity and brand visually, they may also create stories for their avatar. However, without 
community these individual identities and stories are futile. I argue that community makes 
one’s avatarial design story and identity relevant. In addition, even states of being such as 
fame, public occurrences like trends and commerce/e-commerce are possible through the 
verve of communities. These are some of the elements that represent and make up our 

                                                           
20

 Out of the eight key cited attributes and concepts of the metaverse, Zuckerberg included Avatars as one the central 
aspects in his 2021 keynote. CEO of NVIDIA Jensen Huang also mentions avatars as one of the key elements towards the 
omniverse in his 2021 GTC keynote. 
21

 Similarly in the 21
st

 century some end-users won’t have access to the metaverse due to a lack of tech masks .i.e. VR 
goggles 



20 
 

three outlined worlds, as we know them with regard to their offering of senses, space, 
affordance, texture, look and feel22; 

 

 Actual world  

a. End-user, Totem, AR, Taste, Smell, Touch, Print (Fabric), Mineral Resources  

i. Value is created by community 

 Digital world / Augmented Reality 

a. End-user, Hardware, Software, Avatar, AR, Pixels, Vector, Bitmap, MP3, MP4, JPEG, 

PDF, GIF,  

i. Value is created by community 

ii. Lacks totem knowledge and insights  

 Virtual world  

a. End-user, Avatar, Hardware, Software, Animation, AR, Digital Elements, Complete 

Immersion, 

i. Value is created by community 

ii. Lacks totem knowledge and insights 

 
Digital Identity Extensions and Unity via Community 
 
The egungun, through their roles, covertly encouraged the importance of inclusive 
community maintenance, what we refer to as Open-Source today, hence the rapid growth 
of BlockChain23 systems, and online digital communities. Digital scholars might have 
subconsciously accepted or denied (to their detriment) that digital’s next iterations often 
reference primitive concepts. These digital and technological breakthroughs do not pop out 
of thin air.  
 

 
CryptoPunk #9998, one of a collection of 10,000 NFTs, sold for $532 million? 

The highest legitimate sale for a CryptoPunk is $11.7 million (source: www.cnet.com) 

 
I must elaborate on community when discussing the avatar and identity creation. 
Community is a pivotal human narrative and organisation concept.  

                                                           
22

 Note: Not limited to the elements listed below but constitutes those 
23

 In essence, the blockchain is a shared, programmable, cryptographically secure and therefore trusted ledger which, no 
single user controls and can be inspected by everyone (The Fourth Industrial Revolution, 2016, p.23). 

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/natively-digital-cryptopunk-7523/cryptopunk-7523
http://www.cnet.com/


21 
 

A community represents unity, a collection of different and unique avatars forming and 
moving in unison. That is why historically and even today, we globally see physical and 
avatarial symbolism such as a ‘fist’ to signify strength in unity. Individual human fingers are 
stronger when they unite and create a fist (community). A fist symbolises a community, a 
solid rock. Another physical and avatarial community symbol in humans is seen in hair. 
Traditionally, hair is a totemic and even an avatarial human narrative extension today. One 
can form many ideas using hair as a totemic identity symbol and means of identity 
extension. For example, Shamans’ wore their hair in specific ways when participating in 
community rituals to extend visual representations and narration. Alexander Aleksandrovich 
Goldenweiser (1910, p. 181) a Russian Anthropologist attests to this fact.  
 

"In order, apparently, to put oneself more fully under the protection of the totem, the 
clansman is in the habit of assimilating himself to the totem by dressing in the skin or other 
part of the totem animal, arranging his hair and mutilating his body, so as to resemble the 
totem, and representing the totem on his body by cicatrices, tattooing, or paint." (Italic 
emphasis mine). 

 
Another example based on hair as a symbolic and totemic representation is the Mohawk 
hairstyle’s atavism that is fashionable currently. The Mohawk people are originally the 
North American Indian tribe, this hair motif is not a style but a group of North American 
natives. They are warriors, the Mohawks, shaved both sides of their heads and left a thin 
strip of hair in the middle before battle. This style stood as a totemic mark for war and 
warriors.  
 

 
(Left)The evolution and atavism of Hair (Mohawk) as an identity (Illustration source: rif.org)  

(Right) Diesel Mohawk Logo (Totemic Brand Representation)   

 
 
Hair as a symbol of community may also be seen in the Rastafari culture. As the Rastafari 
adage goes, ‘One dread log is stronger that one strand, each one teach one…’  The Rastafari 
community signify quality and importance of community in how they wear their hair. In the 
digital world, a single avatar gathering with other individual avatars as a collective becomes 
a community, for instance, the non-fungible token collection called CryptoPunks as shown 
earlier has 10 000 unique avatars. They have different hairstyles, (for example, dreadlocks 
and even Mohawks), some wear sunglasses, some are bald; others wear caps or hoodies 
etc. All of these paraphernalia are avatarial and totemic extensions of unique visual 
identities.  
In reference to Mohawks as hairstyles see female CrytoPunk 532 top center (called Mohawk 
Dark, figure 7). A contemporary version of the Mohawk hairstyle in digital avatars. 



22 
 

 

 
Atavism and Totem practices - Images 1-4: “Totemic Coiffures

24
. These hair-dos of pre-pubescent Senegalese girls (prior to 

World War II) correspond to that of the Eighteenth Dynasty Egyptian girl in the statuette [4
th

 image], more than 3,500 years 
earlier-before Moses. Image 5:  Pharaoh Ramses II and a modern Watusi.  

(Source: Dr Cheikh Anta Diop’s The African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality).  
 
 
 

 
Superman’s Hair as a Totemic Identity symbol. Allegiance to Planet Krypton whose narrative and identity symbol is the 

letter “S”. 
 
Most of these booming digital avatar identities and communities can be traced back to 
Multiple User Dungeons or Multiple User Domains. At this point, we start seeing the 
totemic-Phoenix rising to embrace the concept of community on the internet. In the 18th 
century, the avatarial-Phoenix rises from its ashes to embody the concept of community in 
its digital infancy.  
 

                                                           
24

 The style in which someone’s hair is cut and arranged (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s dictionary). 



23 
 

 
Figure 8: The Ancient Egyptian Bennu bird commonly referred to as a Phoenix in Greek mythology 

 
By digital infancy I am referring to the above mentioned MUD development which I will 
discuss further in a moment. But let me first give context to the Phoenix origins. The Bennu 
bird is an ancient deity originally associated with Egyptian mythological stories. The Bennu 
symbolized the sun which is linked with Ra the sun god, the solar diety, who is the 
embodiment of the radiance and power of the sun. The concept of avatar as deity is 
reinforced as I have alluded to earlier. “avatar… in Hinduism, the incarnation of a deity in 
human or animal form to counteract some particular evil in the world. (Britannica; 2015).  
This incarnation narrative is present in both totem practice and digital avatar practice.  
The Phoenix acts both as a totem and an avatar in Egyptian mythology, a god that 
embodies25 a Bennu bird described as being very large in size and stature, often likened to 
an eagle. This embodiment represents the sun’s divinity as and in a fiery bird form. The 
phoenix burning is also a metaphor for regeneration, the continuous sunset and sunrise. 
Additionally, the Bennu or Phoenix symbolized rebirth and creation. The phoenix is known 
to live eternally through endless death and rebirth. The key point in this context is that the 
phoenix always returns better than its previous self. According to the Encyclopedia 
Britannica;  
 

“Only one phoenix existed at any time, and it was very long-lived—no ancient authority gave 
it a life span of less than 500 years. As its end approached, the phoenix fashioned a nest of 
aromatic boughs and spices, set it on fire, and was consumed in the flames. From the pyre 
miraculously sprang a new phoenix, which, after embalming its father’s ashes in an egg of 
myrrh, flew with the ashes to Heliopolis (“City of the Sun”) in Egypt, where it deposited them 
on the altar in the temple of the Egyptian god of the sun, Re. A variant of the story made the 
dying phoenix fly to Heliopolis and immolate itself in the altar fire, from which the young 
phoenix then rose. (Britannica.com 2021; emphasis mine) 

 
In an endless cycle, the phoenix keeps rising from its father’s ashes coming back newer, 
brighter, more creative and full of radiance. I will give my anecdotal phoenix a life span of 
100 years (not 500 years) to illustrate my points. A hundred years representing sequential 
and chronological centuries of digital transformation. In this instance, the primitive totem 
giving birth to the digital avatar. Earlier we made mention of Multiple User Dungeons. MUD 

                                                           
25

 In this instance the end-user embodies either the avatar or the totem 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hinduism
https://www.britannica.com/place/Heliopolis-ancient-city-Egypt


24 
 

is a ‘textual virtual world’26, and an 18th century development, serving as the foundation of 
most, if not all, 21st century digital gaming communities. For example, World of Warcraft, a 
multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment released in 2004, over two 
decades after the first MUD. Keith Stuart author and journalist of The Guardian discussing 
MUDs reports that; 
 

“There had been other fantasy adventure games before MUD, of course. Will 
Crowther’s Colossal Cave Adventure arrived in 1975, while work on Zork, developed by a 
bunch of MIT students in the university’s dynamic modelling group, began in 1977. These 
single-player programs were, in turn heavily inspired by the pencil and paper role-playing 
game Dungeons and Dragons, which had been hugely popular in student circles since its 
publication in 1974. …Consequently, when the first version of MUD uploaded to the university 
system in autumn 1978, it allowed multiple users to log into a mainframe and go on fantasy 
quests together.” (thegaurdian.com 2014) 

 
This argument confirms the genesis of individual digital users recognizing the importance of 
community and collaboration online in the late 1900s. To further clarify and elaborate on 
the Bennu Bird or Phoenix. It is critical to emphasise that this bird was both totemic and 
narrative. It served as link to society, community and storytelling. The idea of the 
inextricable link between youth and becoming old, birth and death, and the importance of 
passing down knowledge and lived experiences.  
 
Christine Paul corroborates Stuart’s report concerning how MUDs shaped the digital 
community as we know it today; 
 

“One of the most significant aspects of the Web is that it has created a global platform for 
exchange and communities of interest.  
E-mail and mailing lists early on established possibilities for remote communication, which 
were followed by 2D ‘chat’ environments and then virtual worlds and online chat that allowed 
multiple users to engage in live conversation. Among the early multi-user environments that 
developed on the Web were the so-called MUDs – Multiple User Dungeons (or Domains) that 
were modelled after the early text based Dungeons and Dragons computer games such as 
Zork Zero. In the original game, players navigate through the environment by typing in 
directional ‘N’ for North, ‘SW’ for Southwest; they pick up clues and objects with text 
commands (‘Get candle’) and use them to solve the puzzle and win the game. Online MUDs 
were based on the same principles but allowed thousands of players to navigate through the 
rooms, interact with each other, and engage in role-playing games. MUDs found their 
extensions in MOOs (Muds Object-Oriented), which are based on more sophisticated object-
oriented programming and can be expanded by their users. MOOs lend themselves to the 
construction of anything from adventure games to conferencing systems, and many 
universities built MOOs that focused on a specific topic of research to enable students and 
faculty to engage in ongoing discussions.” (2015, p. 121). 

 
 

                                                           
26

 Interview with Professor Richard Bartle, The Guardian at GameCity 2014  

http://classicgames.about.com/od/computergames/p/History-Of-Colossal-Cave-Adventure-Part-1-The-First-Text-Adventure-Game.htm
http://mentalfloss.com/article/29885/eaten-grue-brief-history-zork


25 
 

 
Zork: The MUD game and its typography design (left). Zork’s text based virtual world user-interface (right). 

 
MUDs laid a solid imaginative and real-time interactive foundation, developed by Roy 
Trubshaw and Richard Bartle in 1978 at the University of Essex in England. This was the first 
interactive text-based role-playing game which later inspired many pop-cultural digital 
multiplayer games, as mentioned above. Community in the digital arts and technological 
gaming world started seeing significant growth and attention. We start seeing the end-user 
being put first by developers, just like the commercialised mantra that says ‘the customer is 
always right’ in marketing industries. In a conscious capitalist view, specifically from an 
African perspective, this is called Ubuntu.  
 
Ubuntu reinforces crucial understanding and embodies the spirit of togetherness and 
oneness. Ubuntu means I am because you are; in this case, I argue that ethics and morals in 
human behavior are always proper. It is a culmination of most ideas brought about by the 
moral circle, a moral design I will expand on later and more broadly in this paper. South 
African born, Mark Shuttleworth the founder and CEO of a company called Canonical 
demonstrated the need for community in the digital sphere. His company developed the 
Linux-based operating system called Ubuntu in 2004. The operating system’s name is 
inspired by ideas of cohesion and collaboration (putting the customers/end-users at the 
center). The company’s about section on the website starts with ‘the story of ubuntu’,  
 
It defines the word Ubuntu as follows:  
 

ubuntu | oǒ’boǒntoō | 
Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning ‘humanity to others’. It is often described as 
reminding us that ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. We bring the spirit of Ubuntu to 
the world of computers and software. The Ubuntu distribution represents the best of what the 
world’s software community has shared with the world. 

Humanity to others elaborates the reciprocal idea of ‘do unto others as you would have 
them do unto you’. Thus this still reinforces the concept of the customer always being 
right through moral understanding and pays homage to treating others right/ethically, 
the notion of putting oneself in another’s shoes.  Ubuntu is more than just an idea, it is a 
way of life just like totems behave in relation to the user that possess them.  



26 
 

A firm reminder that totems can be both tactile and intangible. Just as professor Bartle 
described MUDs as textual virtual worlds, totems went through various iterations before 
conforming to perceptible schemes such as sculpture. Ubuntu serves to create harmony 
in our daily living, its core is putting quality values in the essence of community. Former 
USA president Barack Obama emphasized what it means to have an embodiment of 
community putting importance on Ubuntu. In his eulogy dedicated to former president 
and icon Nelson Mandela, he expressed the following; 

“Mandela understood the ties that bind the human spirit. There’s a word in South Africa, 
Ubuntu. A word that captures Mandela’s greatest gift. His recognition that we are all bound 
together in ways that are invisible to the eye. That there is oneness to humanity. That we 
achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us.” 
(Youtube.com, 2013). 

 
This quote may seem farfetched from the digital space; however, this is the essence of 
MUD's, Avatars and the power of collaboration. The idea of individuals being bound 
together is precisely why communal internet platforms like Facebook function. Ubuntu 
promotes a morally networked digital society. The totem has laid a foundation to how 
critical the concept of Ubuntu is. Furthermore, totems have extended means of meaningful 
and responsible identity creation just like, Avatars behave today. While digital avatars 
devoid of "Ubuntu" are commonly used. Avatars in the digital space are simply another 
extension of identity and meaning-making. Serving as a convenient method of user 
recognition and participation in the digital and virtual community. They are an exceptional 
next iteration of totems and transcend community in digital behaviour, storytelling and 
interactivity. The avatarial Homo Narran express themselves in a different set yet still 
networked system within a digitized society.  
 
This phenomenon is digital citizenship embracing Ubuntu. The centrifugal traits of Avatars 
may be linked with the commercial appeal and industry demands. Now that we have 
discussed some of the traits that form part of the basis of totemism and avatarism, we have 
defined some key terms. Chapter 2 expands on the essential foundations of some of these 
totemic building blocks. 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



27 
 

Chapter 2 

Laying the Foundation:  

Virtue in the Virtual through totems? 

Ethics in the Aesthetics 
 

The iconic stone-carved Zimbabwe Bird is an emblem of Zimbabwe. It has appeared on the national flags and 
coats of arms of Zimbabwe and previously Rhodesia as well as on banknotes, coins and stamps. The bird is used 
by the national sports teams and is part of numerous badges and logos of various Zimbabwean institutions and 
organisations. The original birds, carved from soapstone in a unique and distinctive style once stood proudly on 

guard atop the walls and monoliths of the ancient city of Great Zimbabwe. 

The overall shape of the birds suggests that they represent a bateleur eagle a bird with great significance 
in Shona culture. The bateleur or chapungu is a good omen, the symbol of a protective spirit and a messenger 

of the gods. (victoriafalls-guide.net; 2021) 

 
The world has seen a rise in the application and use of digital avatars. There have been 
many motivations for humans to use avatars as self-representations. Some end-users utilise 
them as abstract avatars and others even as memes. Memes have grown exceptionally 
popular and have become visual satire. A meme may be an image, minimal text, a video, a 
GIF, etc. This pop-cultural word, ‘Meme’, even made it in the English Oxford dictionary. It is 
“an element of a culture or system of behaviour passed from one individual to another by 
imitation or other non-genetic means” (2021). We should note that totems and avatars are 
generally not harmful. However, the narrative use of some memes as avatars may be 
offensive to some users. Although satire (as a model of narrative delivery or storytelling 
style) generally mean s well in comedy, it aims to elicit laughter but it may also lead to 
unintentional tragedy and tears of sorrow. This means avatarial memes, as an example, as 
we noted in theatre can potentially be seen as masks.  
 
Masks could be representative of tears of ‘comedy’ or tears of ‘tragedy’ to other 
unsuspecting or brittle end-users. With that said, it means avatars can have the potential to 
be offensive. A lot of research is expanding in this area. We are seeing the utility of avatars 
in academia, business and entertainment; but there are still prevalent gaps in their ethical 
end-user utility. This is usually covert or usually not perceived as a potential cognitive 
problem, ethically. This behaviour may lead to moral decay in individuals and clans 
(families). 
 

  
An example of memes 

https://www.victoriafalls-guide.net/where-is-zimbabwe.html
https://www.victoriafalls-guide.net/flag-of-zimbabwe.html
https://www.victoriafalls-guide.net/zimbabwe-art.html
https://www.victoriafalls-guide.net/great-zimbabwe.html
https://www.victoriafalls-guide.net/zimbabwe-culture.html


28 
 

 
Avatars and Totems: Foundation for Social Behavior Design 
 
Samuel Kipkemei Kigen from the University of Vienna gives a brief and thorough definition 
of totemism. He explains that; 
 

“Totemism” is to be understood as a complex belief system of indigenous people of perceiving 
a relationship between parts of the community called the clan and natural objects or species 
of animals, like birds, insects, etc. All these can be called totems and considered by people as 
their relatives. The relationship between the clan and the totem comes with duties, taboos, 
and responsibilities. (2018, p. 6). 

 
The key take out from this definition is how critical accountability is concerning the basics of 
governing oneself. Duties, do’s & don’ts and accountability in social behaviour are a must 
know for self-regulation and governance. These instill  a robust foundation for morals and 
ethics. A lot of resourceful and impactful research has been developed and compiled in 
various humanities fields. This has assisted to advance how humans think, behave and 
interact. However, some of these research findings still remain in silos. The internet still 
faces a lot of ethical systems bankruptcy which may be remedied by observing totemism. 
There is very limited online guiding principles, a lack of robust safety regulations. The 
internet somewhat lacks on the aspect of ‘law and order’ which comes as both an 
advantage and disadvantage for the user. For example, in South Africa the POPI Act came in 
full effect post the Covid pandemic (2021), sharing sensitive personal information without 
the other user’s permission may lead to a fine or serving prison time. We should note that 
because the totem relationship with the user comes with responsibilities and duties as 
verified above by Kigen, this affirms and promotes user accountability. A point I will be 
substantiating as we proceed with regard to the avatar potential in digital spaces.  Usually a 
lack of monitoring or basic law in social environments can easily lead to a dystopian society. 
Social environments as we know now are not limited to physical space. The internet 
provides many alternative social spaces, sometimes referred to as second life.  
 
We have observed Kigen’s definition above of totemism together with Asante and Mazama 
earlier in our “Aim” section. He also points out some aspects that were considered basic, 
mainly because of where totemism came from and how it developed. Kigen gives us the 
developmental chronology of how Totemism came to be together with its ebb and flow 
throughout history. However Kigen also observes how totemism kept transforming in 
various discourses, how it transformed in discussions and eventually how it came to be 
noticed ultimately in many fields for research purposes. Kigen reports that, 

 

In 1791, an Englishman John Long travelled through the Northern America, and in the 
Ojibwa land he heard the new word “totem.” Though the name is originated from the 
Ojibwa language, the phenomenon labelled as such had later been also found in Australia 
as well as in other parts of the world. After his return home and publishing a series of 
articles, the concept of totemism awakened much interest and attracted ethnologists to 
do research in the new and interesting field. Later, at the end of the 19th and in the first 
decades of the 20th century, a vivid interest aroused especially among the developing 
social sciences (anthropology, sociology) and in the psycho-analysis. In that time, 



29 
 

totemism was a perennially popular theme that made headlines of anthropological and 
ethnological journals and books and was one of the most discussed issues among 
anthropologists and ethnologists. Discussion of totemism took place on various academic 
disciplines, at different times, and addressed different issues. Totemism has baffled many 
in the understanding of the primitive mind. No doubt that totemism was and is a broad 
and complex subject. Though being a topic of anthropological research, it also evoked 
controversial opinions, even disapprovals and, with time, the term had been abandoned 
by researchers. (2018, p. 7) 

 
This rise and fall makes totemism a murky notion to discuss. Over the years, some 
researchers considered it a primitive idea despite its broad methods and philosophy. Failing 
to see what values totems had to give to the user, over time we neglected what we may 
learn from totemism to build better ideologies around social behaviour. A narrative that 
paints a picture of a dystopian society is in the movie called Mad Max (1979) directed by 
George Miller. In Mad Max, joy is ultimately reduced to the promise of Valhalla and nothing 
else but petty ‘spoils of war’ second to the former. Law and order is non-existent, taking 
humanity back to primal instincts of ‘survival of the fittest’. My discussion on totems in this 
chapter will indicate why the next iteration of avatarial storytelling and identity extension 
may assist avoid online dystopian conduct. This avoidance may occur if we link morality 
lessons embedded in totemism and transfer them into digital avatarism like a baton. 
 
Avatars play a significant role in the end-users' identity creation. In the Matrix (1999) by 
Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski, we see an altered alternate reality where the 
protagonist Neo, a computer systems hacker, cybercriminal and computer programmer, is 
introduced into an advanced world of virtual reality. Although Neo embodies his already 
existing and familiar identity as he knows it. He subsequently realises that he is a realistic 
avatar in a simulated world. If he dies in the alternate virtual world called the Matrix, he will 
also perish in the true physical world. A similar narrative take is observed in the movie 
Avatar (2009). Avatar is James Cameron’s ubiquitous blockbuster movie. The movie Avatar 
is vividly literal in its display of avatarial incarnation. It takes a route of Disney-like and ultra-
colourfully rendered contrasting displays of avatarial embodiment within VR (although in 
the movie the second-world avatarhood immersion is representative of an existing ‘fictional’ 
world outside planet Earth). Both these movies share the concept related to avatarial 
embodiments and incarnation in alternate realities, although Avatar the movie, has many 
African totemic references. Even the greeting used in the movie Avatar is synonymous to 
the isiZulu greetings which reference the spirit of Ubuntu. The blue humanoid natives of 
Pandora called the Na’vi greet one another by saying “I see you”. The Zulu people of 
Southern Africa greet each other by saying “Sawubona” which literally translates to “I see 
you”. Loom International an organisation founded by Janna Moats uses the greeting 
Sawubona and the following is what they had to say about this totemic African greeting.  
 

This Zulu greeting has been on our tongues and in our hearts for much of the past ten years. It 
literally means “I see you.” More than words of politeness, sawubona carries the importance 
of recognizing the worth and dignity of each person.  It says, “I see the whole of you - your 
experiences, your passions, your pain, your strengths and weaknesses, and your future. You 
are valuable to me.” (Loom International, 2022) 

 



30 
 

This definition is another example of why it was necessary to stress earlier the mnemonic 
elements of totems Totemism is rich in promoting the ideas netted in the virtuous circle. On 
the other hand, Avatars with social morality cues are still novice at guiding the end-user. We 
will deliberate on the moral circle concept.   
 

 
Avatarial embodiments (A) Neo when plugged and unplugged (B) Jake Sully when plugged and unplugged 

 
In the Matrix, before we see Neo meeting a character named Morpheus (In Greek 
mythology, Morpheus is a God of dreams or sleep), who introduces Neo to the truth about 
the ‘then’ real physical world and the virtual world. Before Neo is taken out or rescued from 
the uninhabitable and dystopian real physical world, he wakes up in an incubator. To his 
shock, he sees millions of incubators precisely like his own, with human babies and adults. 
The numerous incubators are attached to towering skyscraper-like cylinders, the cylindrical 
buildings are so tall that one cannot see their base. Neo realises that he has likely been 
unconscious since birth and living in a simulation. We then see a Sentinel machine soaring 
over Neo like a mechanical jellyfish on guard. The machine inspects the nude and bald Neo 
who sits in a gooey substance inside his opened incubator. The robotic and hovering 
sentinel, realising that Neo is now awakened from his dream state as alluded by Morpheus, 
the robotic machine ejects a cord from Neo’s head much as one would eject a USB stick 
from a computer. Neo is then unplugged from the incubator, flushed and discarded into a 
pool of fluid. Morpheus and his crew hoist Neo out of the fluid. He comes out of what looks 
like a giant robotic device reminiscent of a slot machine with a crane to yank out prizes (in 
essence, Neo is being saved by switching his avatarhood embodiment). As Neo wakes up 
fatigued and smeared all over his body with remnants of the gooey fluid, like a new-born 
infant, Morpheus looks at his weary eyes and utters the words, “Welcome to the real 
world”. 
 
 
Augmented Reality – Atoms and Bits 
 
What exactly is the real world that I would like to discuss concerning totems and avatar 
incarnations? When discussing the real physical world experiences contrasted with virtual 
reality experiences, I will refer to these two end-user environments as the actual and the 
virtual worlds. The reason I opt to use ‘actual’27 instead of ‘real’ or perhaps ‘physical’ world 
is that augmented reality already exists. Augmented reality combines the real and the 
unreal. It creates a homogenous relationship with the natural/physical world and to a 
degree with digital and virtual experiences - augmented reality was created by Ivan 
Sutherland at the University of Utah in 1968. Virtual and augmented reality are often used 

                                                           
27

 By definition, existing in fact or reality. 



31 
 

interchangeably in discussions. VR and AR are not the same concepts. While VR gives the 
user a completely immersive experience, AR enhances the physical world, as we know it. AR 
has the potential to make actual worlds digitally interactive. For example, this means that 
the end-user with a mobile device or state-of-the-art technological spectacles can scan 
everyday objects in the real physical life and find information about them. Nathan 
Jurgenson in his essay When Atoms Meet Bits: Social Media, the Mobile Web and 
Augmented Revolution (2012) explain the word augmented to be “…a larger conceptual 
perspective that views our reality as the byproduct of the enmeshing of the on and off” 
(2012, p. 84). 
 
Augmented reality essentially bridges the space between digital interactivity, as we know it, 
on interfaces with the internet-of-things28 phenomenon. Imagine wearing your everyday 
spectacles and you stare at a random object in a physical space. Then information about the 
object you are looking at pops up on your spectacle lens, like a monitor's screen. Only you, 
the wearer of the spectacles, can see the information. That is how AR fundamentally works, 
it augments physical reality. Totems, through shamanic experiences, have been pursuing the 
augmentation of reality and the pursuit of a second life for centuries. We will discuss that 
aspect a bit later in this paper.  Pokémon Go is a famous AR mobile game created by 
Niantic, Inc., a United States of America-based software Development Company in San 
Francisco. Pokémon Go is a great contemporary example of AR experiences. It fused the 
technology of Global Positioning System (GPS) with gaming experiences, although the 
technology behind is more intricate than that. According to Business of Apps (2021), sources 
from Niantic, Superdata report that Pokémon Go end-users were statistically, estimated to 
have been 232 million in the year 2016, with total revenue of $1.23 billion by 2020. 
 

 
Augmented Reality Gaming Experience on Pokémon Go 

 
 

                                                           
28

 The interconnection via the internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and 
receive data (Oxford, 2021). 



32 
 

 
Example of Pokémon Go Avatar Customization (Source: 3rdworldgeeks.com) 

 
Avatar value in Storytelling 
 
The statistics above indicate that by 2016, 232 million end-users were already partially 
immersed in AR through gaming. Furthermore, it demonstrates that two hundred and 
thirty-two million users were customising their identities to represent themselves as digital 
avatars in Pokémon Go. This is an indication of how dominant the avatar space has grown to 
become. Additionally this also illustrates the power of avatar use. An article that appeared 
in International Business Times (2017) online headlined “‘Pokemon Go’ Avatar Update 
Allows Trainers To Walk Barefoot, Catch Pokemon Sans Backpack”. The article written by 
Mike Luces reported the following; 
 

On Wednesday, the Pokémon GO team announced on their blog the arrival of Gen 2 Pokémon 
and new features to Niantic Labs' iOS and Android mobile gaming app. They mentioned in the 
blog post that with the new update, players would have new avatars and more wardrobe 
options. What they did not mention then was the option to let Trainers roam the augmented 
reality map without any footwear… 
 
…Other users who checked out the thread got curious on how this just sends a wrong message 
to players. However, others were fine with this option. One Redditor even pointed out 
how humans managed to walk around the earth without wearing shoes for thousands of years 
and that some even continue to do so now. Another issue that “Pokémon GO” players raised 
has to do with the fact that Trainers can now go hunting for Pokémon without bringing their 
backpacks with them. The backpack is an essential accessory in the game for it stores all of the 
PokéBalls, Berries and other items. Hence, some find it odd that this option was added. 
 
Since the Pokémon GO team advertised the update to bring new avatars to the game, players 
actually got excited at the thought of it. Unfortunately, ShotgunMavericks01 revealed 
something that would certainly disappoint fans. According to the Redditor, everything about 
the avatar and wardrobe remain the same. What players are getting is a new UI for the 
feature and the addition of new colors for the clothing, as well as the inclusion of the 
buying/coin option on the top right of the avatar interface. (Luces, 2017) (Emphasis mine). 

 

http://pokemongo.nianticlabs.com/en/post/johto-pokemon
https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemongo/comments/5u8z60/new_avatar_customization_screenshots/ddsj85b/
https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemongo/comments/5u8z60/new_avatar_customization_screenshots/ddsb1lg/
https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemongo/comments/5u8z60/new_avatar_customization_screenshots/ddsb1lg/
https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemongo/comments/5u8z60/new_avatar_customization_screenshots/dds9yfu/
https://www.reddit.com/r/pokemongo/comments/5u8z60/new_avatar_customization_screenshots/dds9yfu/


33 
 

 
 Scan to see how Avatar customization works 

 
Changing attire, deciding not to have a backpack, and more might seem irrelevant to some 
apathetic digital end-users, but it caused some disputes among avid gamers. This slight 
Avatar customisation change influenced the game's core narrative on this gaming platform.  
Avatarism (and Totemism) is about more than just the look and feel or just plainly 
enhancing the user interface. Some of the comments from the users/players show that 
Avatars are also crucial in keeping the story and the storytelling intact and authentic. For 
example, the fact that a user could choose to keep an accessory such as a bag or optionally 
leave it out meant reconstructing the gameplay storyline negatively. Although this might not 
indicate moral decay in gaming, it starts to lay a primer on how easily narrative can be 
altered and even destroyed through simple avatarial (identity) changes. We will 
subsequently discuss how this loss of identity and the maintenance of authentic storytelling 
also happens in the world of totems. By observing authentic identities and stories, digital 
avatars will hypothetically avoid these pitfalls in the virtual space, especially with the 
emergence of the metaverse and omniverse. In chapter 3, I will give brief details about the 
metaverse concept.  
 
Below is a table demonstrating the differences between the two worlds I mentioned earlier, 
actual and virtual. The table below also considers how totems and avatars behave in the 
two immersive and interactive environments. 
 
 

Actual Worlds Virtual Worlds 

Totemic experience  Avatarial experience 
Spiritual - Philosophical Digital – Augmented R (Data) 

Mythological Storytelling (Fables) Fantasy Storytelling (Video Games) 

Ancestry - Ubuntu - Nurture Algorithm - AI - Pattern 

Ecology Internet of Things 

Real Simulation 

Post Modernism Posthuman (Homo Deus
29

) 

Old  Youth 

Biological / DNA Cybernetic 

Physical Tattoo Data visualisation (Infographics) 

Moral compass Code 
Both totems and avatars are about identity and narratives or storytelling 

                                                           
29

 Taken from Prof. Yuval Noah Harari’s (2016) book, Homo Deus: A brief History of Tomorrow 



34 
 

 

 

 

Making a brief reference to the protagonist Neo again, Neo, much like our anecdotal 

(totemic) phoenix, had experienced a rebirth in the movie’s narrative. His introduction to 

the virtual world can be likened to reincarnation, a new embodiment or the phoenix ‘rising 

from the ashes’. Neo is selected and rescued by Morpheusas as he (Morpheus) believes that 

Neo is “The One”. The one who will rescue humans from their plight and the machine’s 

malicious intentions of plunder. As Neo experiences his new beginnings like a re-awaked 

and modernized phoenix, he is notified by Morpheus that he was living in a “neural 

interactive simulation” all along, called the Matrix, ‘a computer generated dream world built 

to keep humans under control’ (Morpheus, 1999). The actual (physical) world is now a 

lifeless desert because of artificial intelligence.  

At this stage, I must outline the meaning of the name and word "Neo". In the African 

languages, namely Sesotho, Sepedi and Setswana, the name Neo means ‘a gift’. On the 

other hand, the Macmillan (2021) dictionary defines Neo as “modern, or new: used with 

many nouns and adjectives to make nouns and adjectives describing things that exist in the 

present in a slightly different form from the way that they existed in the past”. The word 

‘neo’, in African and western terms signifies something new and a special gift. Both 

definitions attest to the nature of embodying a phoenix spirit. Neo, the protagonist, 

embodies this reawakening essence with his name and as a virtual Avatar within the Matrix. 

He is a ‘new gift’ from another world sent to save humans in a different world. In the movie, 

Neo's newly found true self resides in Zion. This place (Zion) is an allegorical Elysium for 

humans who survived death in the actual world.  

Elysium, also called Elysian Fields or Elysian Plain in Greek mythology, originally 

the paradise to which heroes on whom the gods conferred immortality were sent. It probably 

was retained from Minoan religion. In Homer’s writings, the Elysian Plain was a land of perfect 

happiness at the end of the Earth, on the banks of the Oceanus. A similar description was 

given by Hesiod of the Isles of the Blessed. In the earlier authors, only those specially favoured 

by the gods entered Elysium and were made immortal. By the time of Hesiod, however, 

Elysium was a place for the blessed dead, and, from Pindar on, entrance was gained by a 

righteous life. (Britannica, 2007). 

Zion (in the movie) or Elysium as I have decided to compare it- is an extension of the 

second-world experience, seeking paradise in an alternate environment.  

Historically, during the Pre-Socratic Philosophy, Egyptians used totemic (see: hieroglyphics) 

and slogan-like inscriptions to pursue one's brand key. For example, The Temple of Luxor 

Posthumanism: 

(1) Posthumanism insists that “human identity” is always in flux, always materially and culturally situated. 

(2) Posthumanism challenges traditional, “humanist” conceptions of identity and embodiment, 

demonstrating how static or fixed theories of what it means to be human…  

(Source: TEDx Talks, Michael Shirzadian, 2018) 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-mythology
https://www.britannica.com/topic/paradise-religion
https://www.britannica.com/topic/immortality
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Minoan-civilization
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Homer-Greek-poet
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Oceanus
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hesiod
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pindar


35 
 

had various inscriptions with aphorisms. Dr. George G. M. James (1954, p.89) from Columbia 

University, author and historian, notes the following;  

“Self-knowledge is the basis of true knowledge. The Mysteries required as a first step, the 

mastery of the passions, which made room for the occupation of unlimited powers. Hence, as 

a second step, the Neophyte was required to search within himself for the new powers that 

had taken possession of him. The Egyptians consequently wrote on their temples: "Man, know 

thyself".” 

A reminder that this adage is referenced in the digital film when ‘avatarial Neo’ in the Matrix 

visits a character called the Oracle. For Neo to embrace his avatarial self and affirm that he 

is the one, the Oracle advises that he must know himself. Totems advocate for this 

homogenous self-knowledge both in the physical and in the spiritual. Avatars can do this, 

too, in the physical and the digital. Gradually we will start to unravel the commonalities 

between avatars and totems. 

 

Figure 9a: (Left image 1 and 2) Temple of Luxor, Egypt (Right image 2) Temple of Apollo (Right image 4) Neo reading 
inscription “Temet Nosce” latin for know thyself. 

 

Narratives from movies like Avatar and The Matrix reiterate totemic ideologies (through 

parallel worlds), totemic identities (visual representations) and totemic storytelling 

(reinforcing mnemonic strategies, for example, inscriptions, songs, performances etc.). We 

will see how the foundation of second life regeneration, avatarial stories and identities are 

passed on like a baton from totemism. Totemic practice has continuously embraced ideas of 

alternate identity and second life stories. Today the Zimbabwe flag, as an example, verifies 

this claim, especially around totems. I will discuss that point in detail when analysing the 

totemic and symbolic bird of the Great Zimbabwe as seen on the flag.  

Digital avatars as the next generation of these historic and foundational totems continue to 

be an extension of second life. Palfrey and Gasser (2008, p.29) in their book Born Digital: 

Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives speak at length about second life.  

They state that; 

Second Life provides tools that permit users to tailor the appearance of their avatars, allowing 
them to design everything from clothing to skin color to the shape of the avatar’s nose. Users 
can create an avatar that looks very much like themselves in terms of both physical 
appearance and dress. But they can also experiment with very different identities—for 
example, a female may choose a male avatar, and people of one race may choose an avatar 
with another skin tone; a participant may even design an avatar of nonhuman form, whether 
a real-world animal or a creature of fantasy. (2008, p.29) (Emphasis mine). 

 



36 
 

When Neo in the Matrix swaps the ‘actual’ physical world for the virtual, he is participating 
in a second life interactive space He looks very much like himself with Morpheus, who is 
now in an expensive-looking suit and tie, which were not even purchased but chosen in a 
computer simulation. Morpheus’ clothes were tailor-made to enhance his avatarial virtual 
appearance then uploaded on the computer programme. A similar experience was 
witnessed in Shamanic or clansman totemic-rituals as cited above by Goldenweiser (1910, p. 
181), enhancing the self-image, the avatar’s self-image. Neo does not have input plugs 
anymore on his body; but in the actual physical world in Zion, his body is riddled with plug 
inputs and hardware sockets. At this stage, in the case of the character named Morpheus, 
even though I consider digital avatars as centrifugal (by centrifugal loosely speaking, they 
are centre-fleeing30 in their nature), we can safely assume that digital avatars' centripetal 
(centre-seeking) potential could be 'monetary cost efficiency'. We are well aware of this 
possibility in the 21st century technology although there are constraints. For example, in 
Microsoft Teams, meetings can be held in the comfort of the end-users homes. The end-
user may choose a professional and formal-looking avatar online as a means of self-
representation for the meeting. However at home, in the actual physical world, the end-
user could be wearing pyjamas.  
 
Avatarial interactions: The scent of ethics 
 
The constraint in this world is the loss of value regarding the sense of smell and scent as 
(avatar) mnemonic. Smell generates many feelings and memories for different individuals, 
some good and some bad, and some happy or sad. The smell of food for instance can be 
reminiscent of a place one has travelled to, perhaps because of the food that was served 
and the cuisine. Scents can be associated with a specific place and time. Through a scent, 
nostalgia may occur instantaneously, for example, the smell of flowers, the interior smell of 
a new car or the smell of the one you ‘love’. Smells or scents can be identity representations 
and extensions of meaning. We probably know the ubiquitous maxim that says “sweet smell 
of success”. However, how does an individual smell success? Literally, this is not possible. 
The same way it not possible for most to imagine elements like fire, water, a rock, the sun or 
clouds having a life force. The totemic system may be likened to this statement to a certain 
degree. Totems represent and depict both the tangible and the intangible. They hold 
individuals accountable and responsible for the totems that represent them.  
 
Katie Liljenquist et al (2010) in a paper called “The Smell of Virtue: Clean Scents Promote 
Reciprocity and Charity” write the following about scent; 
 
 

The smell and taste of things remain poised a long time . . . and bear unfaltering, in the tiny 
and almost impalpable drop of their essence, the vast structure of recollection.  

(Proust, 1913/1928, p. 65) 
 
As Proust's words so eloquently express, a familiar smell can transport one to an exact time 
and place in one's past. Indeed, psychologists have found that scents can retrieve images and 
feelings from the deepest recesses of the mind (Chu & Downes, 2000; Doop, Mohr, Folley, 
Brewer, & Park, 2006). Smells can also influence judgment (Schnall, Haidt, Clore, & Jordan, 

                                                           
30

 Term taken from Jesse Graham, et al (2016). 



37 
 

2008) and regulate behaviour: For example, Holland, Hendriks, and Aarts (2005) found that 
exposure to citrus cleaning scents enhanced the mental accessibility of cleaning-related 
constructs and led participants to maintain a cleaner environment while eating. Given the 
symbolic association between physical and moral purity, we considered a provocative 
possibility: In addition to regulating physical cleanliness, clean smells might also motivate 
virtuous behaviour. Indeed, moral transgressions can engender literal feelings of dirtiness 
(Zhong & Liljenquist, 2006). Just as many symbolic associations, such as coldness and 
loneliness (Zhong & Leonardelli, 2008) or darkness and depravity (Frank & Gilovich, 1988), are 
reciprocally rela