"Virtual worlds," more properly called online worlds, offer a rich, new arena for the study of human activity. However, those who study online worlds struggle with the perception that they are not "real" places. This is completely untrue, and possible-worlds narrative theory provides a way to think about online worlds as real places. From this foundation, it is possible to create a theoretical framework for understanding how people interact with online spaces by examining these spaces from within their own context.

This framework incorporates possible-worlds theory as well as two other analytical strands. Media-richness theory, from the field of communication studies, posits that people choose more or less "rich" communication channels based upon the ambiguity or complexity of the message and situation. This way of thinking can be extended to spaces as well, as "richness" can be defined in terms of a space's design and decor. Once a space's richness is determined, we turn to semiotic theory to understand more deeply the symbolic importance of the elements that comprise that richness.

The completed analytical framework is brought to bear on a variety spaces within the online world of Second Life. Through ethnographic participant observation, information on how users interacted with each space was collected and the results examined with the new theoretical approach. The spaces examined included artistic, educational, and entertainment venues, both formal and informal. These case studies provide practical examples of the application of the analytical framework to online spaces.

Finally, another application of this approach is demonstrated with literary analysis. The possible-worlds approach means that the world of any given story can be taken as the context for an examination of the spaces encountered within it. From there, the same methodology that was used with online space can be used with the literary space. Examples from novels, film, and television demonstrate the analytical power of this theoretical approach, and leave the possibility for its application in many other fields as well.