Unit:
Speciality CyberpsychologyLibrary of the School of Philosophy
Supervisors info:
Ανθή Σιδηροπούλου, Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια στο Τμήμα Επικοινωνίας και Μέσων Μαζικής Ενημέρωσης του Εθνικού και Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών.
Ευαγγελία Κούρτη, Ομότιμη Καθηγήτρια Κοινωνικής Ψυχολογίας των Μέσων Επικοινωνίας στο Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών.
Αντωνία (Ντόνα) Παπαστυλιανού, Καθηγήτρια Κοινωνικής Ψυχολογίας στο Τμήμα Ψυχολογίας του Εθνικού και Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστημίου
Αθηνών
Original Title:
Διεργασίες ψηφιακού εαυτού σε εικονικό περιβάλλον- Ποιοτική διερεύνηση της εμπειρίας διαμόρφωσης άβαταρ
Translated title:
Digital self-perception processes in virtual spaces- A qualitative research of the avatar customization experience
Summary:
Avatar customization is an action of self-representation in the digital world. This essay investigates the motivations, emotions and some more factors who can affect the process of avatar customization in a group of 17 men and woman, who belong to the group of the emerging adulthood. For this research a qualitative approach was applied: semi-structured interviews and thematical analysis of the collected data. Moreover, the participants were invited to make an avatar customization with a VR set in the Laboratory of Experimental Psychology of the University of Athens. The results showed that the main motivations of customizing an avatar are the experimentation, the self-idealization and the self-identification. Some other factors who can influence the result of an avatar customization can be the gender differences as well as the social norms conformity. The emotions which emerged were mainly positive and the sense of immersion of the participants prevailed, as a feeling of a new, fascinating action.
Main subject category:
Philosophy - Psychology
Keywords:
avatar, vitrual reality, self-perception, emerging adulthood
