Although I am very comfortable with computers and the internet, I have always been wary of virtual online spaces. I’m not sure if it was because I thought people who did interact in these worlds were weird, or if my inadvertent feelings come from an embarrassment of not having a clue as to what to do. Well, I faced my fears and entered a virtual world full of avatars. Upon deciding how to physically portray myself, I designed a girl who resembled a character I used on Tiger Woods Golf for PS3. She was brunette, thin, and very cute.
I was anxious at first because I had no idea what I was supposed to do, and was hoping that others would notice me and talk to me. Since I wasn’t familiar with the group norms of the space, I initially acted stand-offish and quiet. I was surprised by how many people approached me, and how easy it was to fit in. After mingling with a few people, I gained a good grasp of what existing in a virtual world was all about. I then turned to Yee & Bailenson to find out if their conclusions held true.
The Proteus Effect, discussed in Yee & Bailenson’s paper, states that one’s individual behavior is based upon their online self-presentation. The way that one is portrayed in an online space will impact how they act. One conclusion that Yee and Bailenson came to is that someone who is attractive and tall will feel behavioral confirmation of friendliness. This means that if an avatar is attractive and tall, then they will act friendlier, due to increased confidence. I suppose that because I made myself to be attractive according to my own beliefs, I had a positive self-image and therefore I behaved in a confident manner. Once I got comfortable with my avatar, I began initiating conversations and approaching people instead of the other way around.
I didn’t think I was especially tall, and therefore I am not sure how this factor works into the mix. I do remember there was a man who was tall, dark, and handsome which many girls were crowding around (no surprise there). I suppose that height does have an impact, however I found that attractiveness played a bigger role.
It was interesting to be in an online space where physical appearance becomes a factor, and therefore shapes one’s confidence and participation. The only difference is that here one is able to decide what they look like, as oppose to dealing with what parents have given us. In this online space, although there is a physical appearance aspect, there is still increased self-disclosure due to the lack of true physical appearance. These virtual spaces attempt to get rid of some gating features by allowing you to choose how you look. However, people are not always truthful in how they choose to portray themselves. Therefore, I feel that interacting in a virtual world is just a more creative way to communicate online, but it is not any more truthful.
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2 comments:
Dana,
Great post! I was also wary of entering the online virtual world. I think it is very interesting how you tied together gating features and this assignment. Although appearance is a factor in virtual worlds, it is not a true factor. Being able to make yourself look however you want to look increases deception, so it is strange that self-disclosure would increase in this setting. If I meet an attractive avatar online, my chances of self-disclosing more to them are greater according to Yee & Bailenson. Your post makes this seem counterintuitive. Great job!
I agree that height adds to attractiveness in both CMC and FTF. In fact, I've heard that CEOs have an average height much taller than the average height of men in general. However, I'm confused as to why physical attractiveness matters in CMC and virtual worlds, sicne everyone understands it is not real. As you mentioned, people get to choose what they look like and it's unlikely that everyone is tall, skinny, and beautiful. I would assume these type of characters are overcompensating for the features they lack in real life. People sholud be more cautious of how much they rely on CMC attractiveness in the same way that people are cautious of online deception. I would agree that the protues effect is true and that individuals who appear attractive in CMC feel more confident as they notice the changes in other people's reactions. This makes them appear more attractive and the effects snowball.
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