Editing Avatar (computing) (section)

==Academic study==
Avatars have become an area of study in the world of academics. According to psychiatrist David Brunski, the emergence of online avatars have implications for domains of scholarly research such as [[technoself]] studies, which is concerned with all aspects of identity in a technological society.<ref group=j>{{cite journal|last=Brunskill|first=David|title=Social media, social avatars and the psyche: is Facebook good for us?|journal=Australasian Psychiatry|date=December 2013|volume=21|issue=6|pages=527–532|doi=10.1177/1039856213509289|pmid=24159052|s2cid=7526092}}</ref> 
Across the literature, scholars have focused on three overlapping aspects that influence users' perceptions of the social potential of avatars: agency, anthropomorphism, and realism.<ref group=j>{{cite journal | last1 = Nowak | first1 = K. L. | last2 = Fox | first2 = J. | year = 2018 | title = Avatars and Computer-Mediated Communication: A Review of the Definitions, Uses, and Effects of Digital Representations | journal = Review of Communication Research | volume = 6 | pages = 30–53 | doi = 10.12840/issn.2255-4165.2018.06.01.015 | doi-broken-date = November 2, 2024 | doi-access = free }}</ref> According to researchers K. L. Novak and J. Fox, researchers must differentiate ''perceived agency'' (whether an entity is perceived to be human), ''[[anthropomorphism]]'' (having human form or behavior), ''identomorphism''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Virk |first=Riz |date=2022-08-18 |title=Threads of the Metaverse — A Comparative Framework |url=https://rizstanford.medium.com/threads-of-the-metaverse-a-comparative-framework-a4ec6800b483 |access-date=2022-08-21 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref> (how much the form  of the avatar resembles the player), and ''realism'' (the perceived viability of something realistically existing). Perceived agency influences people's responses in the interaction regardless of who or what is actually controlling the representation. An earlier meta-analysis of studies comparing agents and avatars found that both agency and perceived agency mattered: representations controlled by humans were more persuasive than those controlled by bots, and representations believed to be controlled by humans were more persuasive than those believed to be controlled by bots.<ref group=j>{{cite journal | last1 = Fox | first1 = J. | last2 = Ahn | first2 = S. J. | last3 = Janssen | first3 = J. H. | last4 = Yeykelis | first4 = L. | last5 = Segovia | first5 = K. Y. | last6 = Bailenson | first6 = J. N. | year = 2015 | title = Avatars versus agents: A metaanalysis quantifying the effects of agency on social influence | journal = Human-Computer Interaction | volume = 30 | issue = 5 | pages = 401–432 | doi = 10.1080/07370024.2014.921494 | s2cid = 21235038 }}</ref>

Additionally, researchers have investigated how anthropomorphic representations influence communicative outcomes and found that more human-like representations are judged more favorably; people consider them more attractive, credible, and competent.<ref group=j>{{cite journal | last1 = Westerman | first1 = D. | last2 = Tamborini | first2 = R. | last3 = Bowman | first3 = N. D. | year = 2015 | title = The effects of static avatars on impression formation across different contexts on social networking sites | journal = Computers in Human Behavior | volume = 53 | pages = 111–117 | doi = 10.1016/j.chb.2015.06.026 | s2cid = 43018984 }}</ref> Higher levels of anthropomorphism also lead to higher involvement, social presence, and communication satisfaction.<ref group=j>{{cite journal | last1 = Kang | first1 = S. H. | last2 = Watt | first2 = J. H. | year = 2013 | title = The Impact of Avatar Realism and Anonymity on Effective Communication via Mobile Devices | journal = Computers in Human Behavior | volume = 29 | issue = 3 | pages = 1169–1181 | doi = 10.1016/j.chb.2012.10.010 }}</ref> Moreover, people communicate more naturally with more anthropomorphic avatars.<ref group=j>{{cite journal | last1 = Heyselaar | first1 = E. | last2 = Hagoort | first2 = P. | last3 = Segaert | first3 = K. | year = 2017 | title = In dialogue with an avatar, language behavior is identical to dialogue with a human partner | journal = Behavior Research Methods | volume = 49 | issue = 1 | pages = 46–60 | doi = 10.3758/s13428-015-0688-7 | pmid = 26676949 | pmc = 5352801 | doi-access = free }}</ref> Anthropomorphism is also tied to social influence, as more human-like representations can be more persuasive.<ref group=j>{{cite journal | last1 = Gong | first1 = L | year = 2008 | title = How social is social responses to computers? The function of the degree of anthropomorphism in computer representations | journal = Computers in Human Behavior | volume = 24 | issue = 4 | pages = 1494–1509 | doi = 10.1016/j.chb.2007.05.007 }}</ref>

For the ''[[Harvard Business Review]]'', Paul Hemp analysed the effects of avatars on real-world business. He focuses on the game "Second Life", demonstrating that the creators of virtual avatars are willing to spend real money to purchase goods marketed solely to their virtual selves.<ref>Hemp, Paul. "Avatar-based marketing." Harvard Business Review 84.6 (2006): 48–57.</ref> In addition, research in [[Survey data collection|data collection]] via Second Life avatars suggested important considerations related to research participant engagement, burden, and retention, as well as accuracy of the data collected.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cook |first1=Sarah L. |last2=Sha |first2=Mandy |last6=Sha |first6=Mandy |date=2016-03-15 |title=Technology options for engaging respondents in self-administered questionnaires and remote interviewing |url=https://www.rti.org/rti-press-publication/technology-options-engaging-respondents-self-administered-questionnaires-and-remote-interviewing |journal=RTI Press |language=en-US |doi=10.3768/rtipress.2016.op.0026.1603 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Representation of identity===
The Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication published a study of the reactions to certain types of avatars by a sample group of human users. The results showed that users commonly chose avatars which were humanoid and matched their gender. The conclusion was that in order to make users feel more "at home" in their avatars, designers should maximise the customizability of visual criteria common to humans, such as skin and hair color, age, gender, hair styles and height.<ref group=j>{{cite journal | last1 = Nowak | first1 = K. L. | last2 = Rauh | first2 = C. | year = 2005 | title = The Influence of the Avatar on Online Perceptions of Anthropomorphism, Androgyny, Credibility, Homophily, and Attraction | journal = Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication | volume = 11 | issue = 1| pages = 153–178 | doi = 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.tb00308.x | doi-access = free }}</ref> Researchers at York University studied whether avatars reflected a user's real-life personality.<ref name="Post 2015">{{cite web | last=Gregoire | first=Carolyn | title=People Can Predict Your Personality From Your Online Avatar | website=The Huffington Post | date=14 January 2015  | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/14/online-avatar-personality_n_6463484.html | access-date=17 January 2015}}</ref> Student test groups were able to infer upon extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, but could not infer upon openness and conscientiousness.<ref name="Post 2015"/>

Researchers have also studied avatars that differ from real-life identity. [[Sherry Turkle]] described a middle-aged man who played an aggressive, confrontational female character in his online communities, displaying personality traits he was embarrassed to display in the offline world.<ref name="turkle">{{cite magazine|last=McCorduck|first=Pamela|title=Sex, Lies and Avatars|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.04/turkle_pr.html|magazine=Wired|access-date=15 December 2012}}</ref> Research by Nick Yee of the Daedelus Project demonstrates that an avatar may differ considerably from a player's offline identity, based on gender.<ref name="yee">{{cite web|last=Yee|first=Nick|title=Our Virtual Bodies, Ourselves?|url=http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/archives/001613.php?page=1|work=The Daedalus Project|access-date=15 December 2012|date=17 February 2008}}</ref> However, most players will make an avatar that is (proportionately) equal to their height (or slightly taller).<ref name="yee" /> Turkle has observed that some players seek an emotional connection they cannot establish in the real world. She described a case in which a man with a serious heart condition preventing him from ordinary socializing found acceptance and friendship through his online identity.<ref name="turkle" /> Others have pointed out similar findings in those with [[mental disorders]] making [[social interaction]] difficult, such as those with [[autism]] or similar disabilities.<ref>{{cite web|last=Harris|first=Stephen|title=Working Through Personal Identity Issues Using Virtual Communities and Networks|url=http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/working-through-personal-identity-issues-using-virtual-communities-and-networks/|work=Online Conference on Networks and Communities|access-date=15 December 2012|date=23 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320224257/http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/working-through-personal-identity-issues-using-virtual-communities-and-networks/|archive-date=20 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>