Mediated Perceptions: Contributions of Phenomenological Film Theory to Understanding the Interactive Video Experience

This article examines the spatial relationships between avatars (i.e., graphical identities or icons) over time in a 2-dimensional online chat environment. The Spatial Distance Analysis Program (SDAP) was developed to measure the distance between avatars in a specially designed Palace environment. Correlations between distance and interpersonal communication constructs of (1) conversational appropriateness, (2) social attraction, and (3) uncertainty reduction indicate that distance effects are significant in an online environment. Specifically, it was found that general conversational appropriateness mediated between uncertainty reduction and specific conversational appropriateness for individuals who moved closer together and farther apart over time, respectively. Furthermore, the relationship between social attraction and distance indicated a significant positive parabolic function; that social attraction (i.e., liking) decreased at middle distances and increased at low and high distances. This finding suggests that there are three interpersonal distance zones in online communication.     

Retracted: Antecedents and Consequences of Gender Swapping in Online Games

This study examines the reasons underlying gender swapping and its impacts on online gaming behavior. While previous studies considered gender swapping to be an abnormal or rare exception in one's self‐presentation, this study hypothesized that people swap genders as a rational choice based on practical benefits. An online survey was conducted with 318 male players of MMORPGs in Korea. Players swapped gender in games to gain benefits from other players under the condition of anonymity rather than to represent their own gender identity. Men playing female avatars displayed more socially amiable behaviors conventionally characterized as more feminine. Moreover, players were more willing to purchase virtual goods to decorate their gender swapped avatars, mediated by their emotional attachment to their avatar.     

Can insecurely attached dating couples get compensated on social network sites? —The effect of surveillance

Insecure attachment is detrimental to romantic relationships. However, surveillance through Social Networking Sites (SNSs) is assumed to be beneficial for romantic relationships in prior studies. Does surveillance offer a compensatory effect for insecure couples? The present study aims to explore the combined effect of romantic attachment and surveillance on relationships for college dating couples. The actor and partner interpersonal model (APIM) was introduced to deal with mutual influences between both parts of the couples. We recruited 250 dating couples for this research. Our study revealed that both anxiety and avoidance have negative effects on one's own and one's partner's perceived relationship quality. Furthermore, surveillance may offset males' lower perceived relationship quality when this perception is caused by partners' avoidance. Although surveillance may not compensate for lower perceived relationship quality caused by one's own insecure attachment, it may help mitigate the effects of an avoidant partner.     

Choose your “buddy icon” carefully: The influence of avatar androgyny, anthropomorphism and credibility in online interactions

In both online and offline interactions, the visual representation of people influences how others perceive them. In contrast to the offline body, an online visual representation of a person is consciously chosen and not stable. This paper reports the results of a 2 step examination of the influence of avatars on the person perception process. Specifically, this project examines the reliance on visual characteristics during the online perception process, and the relative influence of androgyny, anthropomorphism and credibility. In the first step, 255 participants fill out a survey where they rated a set of 30 static avatars on their credibility, androgyny, and anthropomorphism. The second step is a between subjects experiment with 230 participants who interact with partners represented by one of eight avatars (high and low androgyny, and anthropomorphism by high and low credibility). Results show that the characteristics of the avatar are used in the person perception process. Causal modeling techniques revealed that perceptions of avatar androgyny influence perceptions of anthropomorphism, which influences attributions of both avatar and partner credibility. Implications of these results for theory, future research, and users and designers of systems using avatars are discussed.     

Privacy in instant messaging: an impression management model

Instant messaging (IM) has evolved into an important tool for collaborative work. It supports informal near-synchronous communication and fosters awareness of the online presence of one's communication partners. Like all awareness systems, IM runs into concerns regarding privacy. Drawing upon prior literature and exploratory interviews, we postulate a model that posits impression management as an underlying cause for privacy desires of IM users. We verify our hypotheses using linear structural modelling on data from a large online survey of IM users across the US. The model establishes that the desire for privacy in IM arises due to the desire for impression management (both directly, as well as indirectly through the desire for visibility of one's impression to oneself). Based on this model, we suggest that IM systems could support privacy needs of users better by providing them with more knowledge and control over aspects that affect their IM-conveyed impression on others (i.e. by making impression management functionality available). Specifically, to help convey and sustain appropriate impressions on IM contacts, IM systems should allow for increased visibility of one's actions to oneself, facilitate easy comparison of one's practices with those of others, and allow one to view oneself from the perspective of others and to make finer-grained adjustments to IM settings than is possible today.     

Deception in avatar-mediated virtual environment

This study explored the effects of avatars on deception – how perceived avatar likeness to self can affect the truthfulness and accuracy of interactions online. More specifically, this study examined the extent to which perceived avatar similarity influences self-awareness and users’ degree of attraction to them, and how these psychological states affect deception in the context of Second Life. The results, based on web-based survey data of 159 Second Life users, revealed that avatar similarity in attitude and behavior to the owner heightened self-awareness, which, in turn, reduced deception. Perceived avatar similarity in terms of appearance was found to have a direct negative impact on deception so that those who perceived their avatars to look similar to themselves were less likely to engage in deceptive behavior. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

Meetings in a distributed group of experts: Comparing face-to-face,chat and collaborative virtual environments

This paper focuses on Collaborative Virtual Environments, and their potential to support work meetings for geographically distributed experts. The research question concerns the difference between face-to-face-, chat-, and CVE- meetings with regard to efficiency, communication process, problems with the technology, enjoyment and competence development. A small group of experts were observed during their natural work meetings. Six of the groups scheduled meetings were held three times in a chat environment and three times in a CVE. Results suggests that chat and CVE meetings are experienced as more task oriented than face-to-face meetings, and that avatars support turn taking and are enjoyable.     

Meetings in a distributed group of experts: comparing face-to-face, chat and collaborative virtual environments

This paper focuses on Collaborative Virtual Environments, and their potential to support work meetings for geographically distributed experts. The research question concerns the difference between face-to-face-, chat-, and CVE- meetings with regard to efficiency, communication process, problems with the technology, enjoyment and competence development. A small group of experts were observed during their natural work meetings. Six of the groups scheduled meetings were held three times in a chat environment and three times in a CVE. Results suggests that chat and CVE meetings are experienced as more task oriented than face-to-face meetings, and that avatars support turn taking and are enjoyable.     

Emotional display behavior in different forms of Computer Mediated Communication

The primary purpose of the current study is to explore whether emotional-display behavior varies on different forms of CMC in a context of one-to-one online chat. Eighty college students (40 males and 40 females) participated in this experiment, and participants were randomly and equally assigned to one of the four different chat conditions (i.e., joint-view, no-view, view-in, and view-out), manipulating visibility (whether or not participants could see their chat partner) and monitorability (whether or not participants could be monitored by their chat partner). In an assigned chat condition, participants were asked to read, consecutively, two different emotional (happy and disgusting) stories typed by their chat partner. The emotional behavior participants displayed while reading the emotional stories was measured by self-reports and a facial-action coding system. Results reveal (1) no main effects for visibility and monitorability on the degree of social presence; (2) significant differences in the use of emotion-management techniques in response to happy and disgust emotions, respectively; and (3) less likelihood of a facial expression of disgust in the monitored conditions than in the unmonitored conditions. The results indicate that there are some differences between text-based chat and video-based chat in terms of emotional-display behavior. These findings make meaningful contributions to the ongoing debate regarding communication behavior in CMC.     

The effect of nonverbal cues on relationship formation

An unprecedented number of relationships begin online, propelling online dating into a billion-dollar industry. However, while the online dating industry has created an effective mechanism for matching and accessing profiles, it has largely neglected the quality of communication between individuals. We investigate whether the lack of nonverbal cues (inherent in the text-based communication tools commonly used by dating sites) hinders communication and relationship formation. In this study, members of a dating website interacted through one of four randomly assigned versions of a text chat, where each version featured an increasing number of nonverbal communication cues. A survey was then administered regarding users’ perceptions of each other, the level and quality of information disclosure, and their interest in developing a relationship with the other person. Results suggest that restoring nonverbal cues through the use of avatars can help improve online interaction and relationship formation. Chat versions that featured more nonverbal cues were associated with more favorable perceptions, greater exchange of information, and a stronger desire to pursue a relationship. While both genders found nonverbal communication conducive to developing a relationship, men and women reacted differently to certain types of nonverbal communication.     

When Deceitful Chats Look Truthful

The amount of deception taking place via electronic text-based communication is increasing. Research has sought to automatically detect deception by analyzing the text from the communicator. However, the deceptive intent of the communication partner is being ignored. We compare the text from subjects who are trying to deceive each other, subjects trying to deceive truth tellers, subjects telling the truth to truth tellers, and subjects telling the truth to deceivers. We hypothesize that despite the intent of the partner, deceitful text will cluster closest to deceitful text. We cluster each of the four conditions using the text content. The cluster algorithm placed subjects trying to deceive each other closest to subjects telling the truth to each other. In this analysis, the language that led subjects to choose the same outcomes had a stronger effect than the language tied to being deceitful or truthful.     

Avatars in social media: Balancing accuracy,playfulness and embodied messages

This paper examines how users negotiate their self-presentation via an avatar used in social media. Twenty participants customised an avatar while thinking aloud. An analysis of this verbal data revealed three motivating factors that drive self-presentation: (1) avatars were used to accurately reflect their owners’ offline self; participants chose to display stable self-attributes or idealised their avatar by concealing or emphasising attributes aligned to imagined social roles, (2) the diversity of customisation options was exploited by some participants who broke free from the social rules governing self-presentation offline; others used the avatar's appearance to emotionally provoke and engage the avatar viewer and finally, (3) avatars were used as proxies; participants designed their online self in order to convey a message to a significant other.     

Understanding emotional bond between the creator and the avatar: Change in behavioral intentions to engage in alcohol-related traffic risk behaviors

This study examines the joint impact of an individual's relationship with his or her avatar and negative consequences to the avatar on changing the individual's behavioral intentions (BI) in terms of alcohol-impaired driving. One hundred eleven participants volunteered to participate in several experimental conditions where the degree of choice of avatar features and the degree of control of the avatar's actions were manipulated in Second Life, an immersive 3D virtual environment. Participants who were allowed to customize their avatars viewed their avatars not only more similar but also emotionally closer to themselves, and perceived their avatars to be physically more attractive than those who were assigned basic avatars. After observing a car crash caused by drunk driving, participants in the choice and control condition were more likely to change BI positively when they identified their avatars to be similar to themselves, and regarded their avatars more attractive. Furthermore, participants who were allowed to control their avatars were more likely to attribute the responsibility of the car accident to themselves than those who observed someone else's avatar playing. Implications for the use of virtual reality games in promoting healthy behaviors are discussed in detail.     

Treating procrastination chat-based versus face-to-face: An RCT evaluating the role of self-disclosure and perceived counselor's characteristics

This article focuses on the differences between chat-based and face-to-face interventions, which are mainly caused by differences in the degree of signal reduction. Students suffering from symptoms of procrastination were randomized and received either face-to-face (n = 26) or chat-based (n = 25) counseling, while we accounted for the impact of perceived counselor's characteristics and self-disclosure in both conditions. Both conditions resulted in a comparable decrease in procrastination, fear and insecurity, and aversion to study. Compared to face-to-face, counselors in chat-based communication were perceived as stricter and less attractive. Perceived trustworthiness of the counselor in the chat condition was more strongly associated with treatment outcome than in face-to-face. Clients assigned to the chat condition showed more self-disclosure reflected by their choice of words but not by self-reports. Both kinds of self-disclosure, but particularly self-reported self-disclosure, were associated with better treatment outcome in the chat condition, but not in face-to-face. The data indicated the importance of clients' processing in chat-based counseling: Interventions may be especially beneficial if clients perceive their counselor as being trustworthy and if they self-disclose.     

Inside the spiral: Hostile media,minority perception,and willingness to speak out on a weblog

This study took a snapshot at the psychological process of spiral of silence in an online environment with South Korean college students as the study participants. In an experiment, a Weblog-embedded news article from a media source incongruent with one's political orientation, as opposed to the same article from a congruent media source, triggered hostile media perception, which in turn led to presumed influence of the online news article on others. The presumed influence on others became a basis for assessing the online climate of opinion and led people to view themselves as a minority against the online climate of opinion. The media source factor, in conjunction with user comments factor, also generated different levels of minority perception both online and in the general society. In contrast to the notion of spiral of silence, minority perception against the general society's climate of opinion increased rather than decreased willingness to speak out.     

Attitude moderation: A comparison of online chat and face-to-face conversation

Face-to-face conversation and online chat were compared on their tendency to moderate attitudes through exposure to an opposing perspective. As predicted on the basis of the greater self-focus and reduced presence of the other in text-based chat, strangers who chatted online for 20 min about a divisive social issue on which they held opposing attitudes showed less movement toward their partner’s position as a result than did those who spoke face-to-face for the same length of time. The potential limitation of text-based online communication for bridging attitude divides is discussed.     

The embodiment of sexualized virtual selves: The Proteus effect and experiences of self-objectification via avatars

Research has indicated that many video games and virtual worlds are populated by unrealistic, hypersexualized representations of women, but the effects of embodying these representations remains understudied. The Proteus effect proposed by Yee and Bailenson (2007) suggests that embodiment may lead to shifts in self-perception both online and offline based on the avatar’s features or behaviors. A 2 × 2 experiment, the first of its kind, examined how self-perception and attitudes changed after women (N = 86) entered a fully immersive virtual environment and embodied sexualized or nonsexualized avatars which featured either the participant’s face or the face of an unknown other. Findings supported the Proteus effect. Participants who wore sexualized avatars internalized the avatar’s appearance and self-objectified, reporting more body-related thoughts than those wearing nonsexualized avatars. Participants who saw their own faces, particularly on sexualized avatars, expressed more rape myth acceptance than those in other conditions. Implications for both online and offline consequences of using sexualized avatars are discussed.     

Me,myself and I: The role of interactional context on self-presentation through avatars

This paper investigates whether the nature of an online environment can prime users to create avatars that emphasize particular characteristics. Participants created an avatar for one of three contrasting settings: blogging, dating or gaming. For the most part, avatars in blogging were created to accurately reflect their owners’ physical appearance, lifestyle and preferences. By contrast, participants in the dating and gaming treatments accentuated certain aspects of their avatar to reflect the tone and perceived expectations of the context. For instance, avatars in dating were made to look more attractive while avatars in gaming were made to look more intellectual. Yet, predominantly, these emphasized avatar attributes drew on participants’ self-image, and thus avatars were perceived by their owners as highly similar to themselves. The implications of these results are discussed against current frameworks of online identity and behavior. Most importantly, we use our results to extract design recommendations for improving avatar-driven applications.     

Fully Embodied Conversational Avatars: Making Communicative Behaviors Autonomous

Although avatars may resemble communicative interface agents, they have for the most part not profited from recent research into autonomous embodied conversational systems. In particular, even though avatars function within conversational environments (for example, chat or games), and even though they often resemble humans (with a head, hands, and a body) they are incapable of representing the kinds of knowledge that humans have about how to use the body during communication. Humans, however, do make extensive use of the visual channel for interaction management where many subtle and even involuntary cues are read from stance, gaze, and gesture. We argue that the modeling and animation of such fundamental behavior is crucial for the credibility and effectiveness of the virtual interaction in chat. By treating the avatar as a communicative agent, we propose a method to automate the animation of important communicative behavior, deriving from work in conversation and discourse theory. BodyChat is a system that allows users to communicate via text while their avatars automatically animate attention, salutations, turn taking, back-channel feedback, and facial expression. An evaluation shows that users found an avatar with autonomous conversational behaviors to be more natural than avatars whose behaviors they controlled, and to increase the perceived expressiveness of the conversation. Interestingly, users also felt that avatars with autonomous communicative behaviors provided a greater sense of user control.     

Cultural determinants of media choice for deception

In today’s business environment, deception is commonplace ( and ). Historically, individuals were limited in their media options, however recent technological advances have given individuals more ways in which to communicate and deceive. The use of these new media change the communication dynamic substantially. Previous studies have found that deception detection differs across media, as media vary in their ability to transmit cues, convey emotion and reversibility, among others. Researchers are beginning to understand the dynamics between media characteristics, individual characteristics and media choice in a deceptive communication context.