Examines the claims that cyberspace allows individuals to create sustainable new identities. It examines these claims in relation to the ongoing argument about embodiment and information systems. Accepts that computer mediated communication changes the nature of the interaction by removing bodily cues from the process, but argues that creating new identities is not simply a case of using new words. Argues that the choice of words is the result of socialized learning into a particular role, a process that cannot be taught explicitly. Analyses an existing case study and highlights the limitations of playing with an identity into which one has not been socialized. Ends with a discussion of the implications of the ideas presented.