A study by Jeremy Bailenson, head of the lab and an assistant professor of communication at Stanford, shows how our self-perception effects our behavior. This applies to our virtual world, avatar, appearances too.
A shocking find in Bailenson's research suggests that Second Life insecurities can affect our real life perceptions and confidence. "When we cloak ourselves in avatars, it subtly alters the manner in which we behave," says Bailenson. "It's about self-perception and self-confidence."
This is increasingly significant research with Second Life's 13 million visitors and World of Warcraft's 10 million subscribers. Some people spend about 20 hours a week in virtual worlds! This research shows the inevitability of the leak of virtual experiences into real life.
Overall studies find that subjects with attractive avatars portray more confidence in real life than those with more unattractive avatars. This affects how people communicate: mainly how close they stand to one another and shyness.
These same characteristics are seen in the characteristics of power. Studies show that those with taller avatars negotiated harder than those with shorter avatars, which also held up in real life situations.
Again, those who watched their avatars exercise, exercised more in real life. Whereas those who watched their avatars lounge around, became couch potatoes in real life (for a few days).
The point being, this effect can work both for good or for bad. "In a therapy setting, we could use these virtual environments to get people to become more confident," says Yee. "But they can also be used in advertising and as propaganda."
My question is, if you watch your avatar fly around all day...Will you in turn be able to fly in real life??
1 comment:
This is interesting. i do feel that the virtual representation through an avatar would either most closely reflect that person, or be the person they couldn’t be in real life. The part about exercising is believable, however, I feel like these people do not exercise that often if they are on SecondLife all the time. I do not think people try to fly, but I do feel that many people wish they could. It is sad to think that what people lack in their daily lives can possibly be fulfilled by SecondLife.
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