The Effect of Transformed Self-Representation on Behavior

The first thing that caught me in this article was the concept of the Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects (SIDE).  The gist of which states that the very things that deindividualize us online - like anonymity - may actually reinforce group norms and conformity in social situations.  This was a huge surprise to me as I, like a large majority I expect, assume that anonymity online leads to negative behaviours more often than not.

Yee et al. also explore Self-Perception Theory as it pertains to online environments.  In short the theory states that, "We observe our own behaviours to understand what attitudes may have caused them."  We react to emotional and physical stimuli by trying to understand what has caused those stimuli, and then react to the situation.  The study gives the example of someone who is paid to do something they already enjoy.  Often, that person will begin to enjoy the task less because an impartial observer would have concluded that they are doing it more for the money than the task itself.

Lastly, Yee et al. refer to Behavioural Confirmation.  In a long list of studies it has been found that we react to the way we are perceived by others by altering our behaviour to match those perceptions.  If others react to the attractiveness of an avatar in a positive fashion, it can cause the owner of that avatar to behave in a more friendly and charming manner.

The study then suggests that these are all possible pieces of the Proteus Effect: our online avatars have the power to effect how we behave online.  Because the online environment cause deindividuation, we take cues from our avatars in how to act.

The two experiments conducted give evidence of this.  In the first, the attractiveness of an avatar was altered and the reactions of others to that avatar were explored.  Participants opened up more to the attractive avatar, which in turn, allowed the user to be more forthcoming and open.  In the second experiment height was used as the variable.  The suggestion being that the taller avatars would act more confidently in a game.  Once again, though not right away, participants reacted to the increase height of their avatars by acting more boldly in situations. 

"Our self-representations shape our behaviours in turn."  What a concept.  We create our avatars as representations of ourselves, perhaps our true selves, yet these avatars then alter the way we behave in social situations online.  The next step is to consider whether or not these changes in our online interactions alter the way we behave in physical situations.  Through the process of psychological learning and behaviour modification it could be expected that if someone spent enough time online with a modified behavioural profile and as a result received enough positive reinforcement for those behaviours, their offline behaviour would be altered as well.

Wow.

Yee, N., & Bailenson, J. (2007). The Proteus effect: the effect of transformed self-representation on behavior. Human Communication Research, 33(3), 271-290.

The Unbearable Likeness of Being Digital

Yee et al. have carried out a very interesting study in which they used the precise measurements available to them in the virtual environment of Second Life to document aspects of body language used in physical communication.  As a part of this study they looked at Inter-personal distance and mutual gaze. 

In the physical world, male-male dyads have significantly more distance between them when interacting than male-female or female-female dyads.  In short - men stand further apart when speaking to each other.  This can be altered depending on age, ethnicity, culture and affiliation. 

Mutual gaze refers to the number of times during a conversation that two people look at each other.  Once again, males tend to make less gaze contact than females in the physical world.  This is also used to signal that someone is too close during physical contact.  If someone is invading your personal space we signal to them by glancing away that we require more room.

The findings suggested that the norms in the physical world are significantly correlated to the norms in the virtual world.  Males tend to require more personal space.  The closer two people were, the less they looked at each other, and within a given distance, more eye contact typically meant a dialogue.

The authors suggest that this means we can use virtual worlds to study social concepts.  This would allow more flexible studies, a wider target pool and easy repeatability.  They also acknowledge that this study is based on only a single virtual world so the findings here may not be represented in others.

Looking at the results I find it interesting that we use the same mannerisms in virtual worlds as we do in the physical.  The more I read the more I discover that the veil between the real and the virtual is disintegrated quickly.    We put so much time and effort into building our virtual selves, and yet we are still caught in the same patterns of behaviour as we are in the offline world.  As virtual worlds become more and more advanced we find that starting with the familiar grounds us.

If that is true then perhaps this will all change quickly.  If we look at the example of texting it is easy to see how quickly things can change.  Emails were originally short letters and many in the business world will still tell you that keeping things formal is the best way to go.  Yet as more and more people email and text with greater regularity, we find that the language changes, those familiar norms we began with were altered.

If anything, life in the virtual world changes far faster than that in the physical.  It will be interesting to see what comes next.

Yee, N., Bailenson, J. N., Urbanek, M. , Chang, F.,; & Merget, D. (2007). The unbearable likeness of being digital: the persistences of nonverbal social norms in online virtual environments. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(1), 115 - 121.

Granting personality to a virtual identity

Van Kokswijk begins with a very interesting statement, "For some individuals their virtual persona is at least as important as their real life image." Even though this virtual identity is often, "Embellished to make the person appear more intelligent, sexier, skinner or bolder."  Van Kokswijk continues to note the virtual identities are often individualized, from unique spellings of names, to specific visual or text clues.  This is done because individuals need to be recognized in their online identity, just as they need to be in person.  Truly, it is also a need for the software that uses databases linked to unique or key values to store information about our virtual selves.

Perhaps that is part of the reason our virtual persona is just as important, if not more so, to us than our physical self.  It is possible to create everything, from name and gender to background and lifestyle to be what we idolize.  This very development of a self outside of the physical could be similar to a new parents feelings for an infant - something has been brought into the world through one's own power.  It is scared and important for that reason. 

Van Kokswijk continues that with the development of new technologies the 'makeability' of people increases.  Now it is easy to add a voice, manipulated photos, it no longer needs to reflect reality in anyway. What may begin as a simple pseudonym may eventually grow into a fully developed online personality.


From here, van Kokswijk continues to explore the legalities surrounding virtual identities and the possible need, in the near future, to establish a legal precedent for their use in contracts and other legal matters.

What is of most interest is the detail the paper goes into in describing how virtual persona's are created.  It summarizes this by speaking of specific differences between the real and the virtual identity: Identity Fluidity, Renovated Hierarchies, and Informational Space.

Identity Fluidity refers to the process by which these personalities are created.  while it is possible for a user to appear differently each time an identity is used, a greater picture begins to develop over time.  While this may not be akin to the offline personality, it is in its own way unique.


Unfortunately, the paper appears not to fully describe the other two features.

Whether or not a virtual identity is considered a 'person' under the law or not, the very notion that we are considering a need for such a definition says a lot about how much we have developed our online personas.  If we are putting in enough detail that these persistent Avatars that they are being granted legal rights, what would come next?

van Kokswijk, J. (2008). Granting personality to a virtual identity. International Journal of Human and Social Sciences, 2(4), Retrieved from http://www.waset.ac.nz/journals/ijhss/v2/v2-3-37.pdf