Tuesday, November 13, 2007
10: Second Life
Like many of you, this was also my first experience with an online video game. Second Life, a multi-user virtual space, seems to have been a great first choice. I first entered the Orientation Station as Charlize Ponnier and spent some time learning the game. Having read Yee and Bailenson’s research before starting the game, I wanted to test their theory of a Proteus Effect. This Effect is the idea that users in an online environment conform to the perceived expectations and stereotypes associated with the characteristics of an avatar. For the most part my avatar resembled my “girl next door” look, with the exception of a significantly enlarged nose and thicker body build. Generally, I’m a pretty secure person. I thought changing these characteristics might have a negative impact on my confidence level while interacting with other players. I played second life for nearly an hour and a half, but did not feel that these changes had any effect on my interaction with other players, although, I will say that it might have had an impact on who interacted with me. I talked with both attractive and less attractive players. It’s possible that some of the less attractive players would not have approached me if I were better looking. I found that I still had the confidence to approach some of the best looking players. Introducing myself as being new to the game, I asked questions about how to play and activities they enjoyed and recommended. These “good looking” players still gave me the courtesy of responding and offering advice. Overall, I spent a lot of energy trying to figure out the game and exploring different opportunities. This caused me to feel a bit distant from the game and focus on what I was doing rather than how I was doing it. In their analysis of the Proteus Effect, Yee and Bailenson argued that one’s self-presentation would transform their behavior. I did not have this experience. This may have been the result of being a knowing participant in an experiment and trying to get adjusted to the game. However, if I came to feel comfortable within the game and to believe that my avatar was some reflection of me or of a psychological manifestation of who I wanted to be, then I can easily see the potential for a Proteus Effect.
Assignment # 10: My Second Life Isn't so great
For this assignment, I chose to spend my time interacting in the online psychological space, Second Life. Being a novice to this type of online psychological space, I experienced many initial reactions and feelings which developed and changed as I became more acquainted with Second Life. To be completely honest, I feel that I may have had many preconceived notions before even entering the world of Second Life. Since I have never entered any type of virtual space online and because I didn’t know anyone that had (or at least it was never discussed), I found the entire concept strange and bizarre. Therefore, upon entering Second Life, those preconceived notions had a huge impact on my initial experience.
The first step in creating a name and general appearance of my avatar seemed pretty simple, however, once I was transported into the world of Second Life my feelings of comfort quickly disappeared. I felt as if I were split in two. Part of me was sitting in front of my computer in my room with the door closed, by myself. The other part was in a place called Orientation Island where my every move could be observed by any other Second Life user. As I learned more about this virtual world through instructions and exploration, I began to feel more comfortable and was able to get over my initial concerns.
The next important step I took was to edit my appearance. I found myself excited with the ease and little thought required to create and alter my outer appearance which contrasts with real life where it requires far more pain and effort to do so. This helped me to see why individuals might prefer online communication as opposed to real life interactions. They can change their appearance and have more confidence. This makes Second Life a great resource for those who are perhaps more shy, however, it seems likely that Problematic Internet Use could be a likely consequence. As I started to modify my avatar, I became astonished with the wide range of features that could potentially be changed. To be honest, I didn’t know that all of these features existed in real life. I made the decision to alter my appearance by making myself rather unattractive. For almost every feature, I chose the opposite of what I would ideally choose for myself. For example, I requested to be short, rather heavy, have short legs and arms, sagging breasts, pointy ears, and an under bite. I also changed my clothing to be tight and rather revealing of my many flaws.
With my new, not improved, appearance, I began to explore the world of Second Life, transporting to different places, trying to converse with anyone who was willing. My first few interactions with others contradicts the predictions made by the Proteus Effect which says that a transformed self-representation will alter a person’s behavior by conforming to behavior that they believe others would expect of them. At first, I completely disregarded my transformed appearance and behaved similar to how I would in the real world. Unfortunately, this unwillingness to conform made me an outsider of the virtual world. If I tried to walk up to someone and start a conversation, I was usually ignored and most people just walked away. After feeling rejected multiple times, my behavior began to conform to my new transformed self-representation. I realized that I could not ignore my appearance anymore than other Second Life users and instead, I become more of an observer to this online world. My experience can be explained by the Proteus effect. Even after reading about this effect and consequently trying to avoid doing it myself, the pressures from other online users ultimately led to conformity behavior based on my unattractive appearance.
These details also show how the Proteus Effect differs from the SIDE theory with regard to conformity among the group or the individual. The SIDE theory emphasizes conformity to the group whereas the Proteus Effect emphasizes conformity to an individual identity. Although my conformity was a result of pressure from others in the online space, my behavior conformed to reflect my altered individual identity, not that of the group of people.
The first step in creating a name and general appearance of my avatar seemed pretty simple, however, once I was transported into the world of Second Life my feelings of comfort quickly disappeared. I felt as if I were split in two. Part of me was sitting in front of my computer in my room with the door closed, by myself. The other part was in a place called Orientation Island where my every move could be observed by any other Second Life user. As I learned more about this virtual world through instructions and exploration, I began to feel more comfortable and was able to get over my initial concerns.
The next important step I took was to edit my appearance. I found myself excited with the ease and little thought required to create and alter my outer appearance which contrasts with real life where it requires far more pain and effort to do so. This helped me to see why individuals might prefer online communication as opposed to real life interactions. They can change their appearance and have more confidence. This makes Second Life a great resource for those who are perhaps more shy, however, it seems likely that Problematic Internet Use could be a likely consequence. As I started to modify my avatar, I became astonished with the wide range of features that could potentially be changed. To be honest, I didn’t know that all of these features existed in real life. I made the decision to alter my appearance by making myself rather unattractive. For almost every feature, I chose the opposite of what I would ideally choose for myself. For example, I requested to be short, rather heavy, have short legs and arms, sagging breasts, pointy ears, and an under bite. I also changed my clothing to be tight and rather revealing of my many flaws.
With my new, not improved, appearance, I began to explore the world of Second Life, transporting to different places, trying to converse with anyone who was willing. My first few interactions with others contradicts the predictions made by the Proteus Effect which says that a transformed self-representation will alter a person’s behavior by conforming to behavior that they believe others would expect of them. At first, I completely disregarded my transformed appearance and behaved similar to how I would in the real world. Unfortunately, this unwillingness to conform made me an outsider of the virtual world. If I tried to walk up to someone and start a conversation, I was usually ignored and most people just walked away. After feeling rejected multiple times, my behavior began to conform to my new transformed self-representation. I realized that I could not ignore my appearance anymore than other Second Life users and instead, I become more of an observer to this online world. My experience can be explained by the Proteus effect. Even after reading about this effect and consequently trying to avoid doing it myself, the pressures from other online users ultimately led to conformity behavior based on my unattractive appearance.
These details also show how the Proteus Effect differs from the SIDE theory with regard to conformity among the group or the individual. The SIDE theory emphasizes conformity to the group whereas the Proteus Effect emphasizes conformity to an individual identity. Although my conformity was a result of pressure from others in the online space, my behavior conformed to reflect my altered individual identity, not that of the group of people.
# 10 Second Life
I chose Second life to begin my online gaming experiment. I played some online RPG (role play game) before, which helped a lot when I download, registered and filled out those endless forms.
Second life is like other RPG I’ve played. You have the chance to choose the appearance of your avatar, and need to work or complete certain tasks for money. Always want to try a totally different life style, I chose one of the defaults features “nightclub”. By adjusting her appearance, I tried my best to make her look like me, but improved a lot of course. It’s interesting that although users are permitted to set their avatar to be any way they want it to be, seldom did I come across some horrible looking guys/girls in the street. Most people chose to be “normally” good looking.
Referred to as the Proteus Effect, Yee & Bailenson (2007) suggest that an individuals' digital self-presentation may help dictate that individual’s behavior, independent of how they are perceived by others.
Most girls including myself learned from experience how important their appearance could influence them in their social life. I don’t know how much did my appearance influence me in my second life in the way people treat me, but they are all kind and helpful. Most of the time, I don’t have be the first one to start a chat with strangers. People are willing to chat with a pretty looking girl. But it seems too early to tell how Proteus Effect play a role in this game. Maybe it’s just because I am a newbie, and people are just trying to help. So I decided to change my appearance. In their study, Yee & Bailenson tested the effects of attractiveness, and found that participants with more attractive avatars walked closer to a confederate and exhibited higher degrees of self-disclosure than those with unattractive avatars in virtual reality. I found it really true, when I put more than 20 pounds on my body, I found that I don’t have to stop and chat anymore. People suddenly became obviously less interested.
I found it fun to spend an hour sitting in front of my computer to have another life. But after that, I am not likely to spend more time in virtual space. Maybe the reason why lots of people are willing to spend hours on Role Playing Games is the ability it offered to have an appearance they want and experience a whole new world they failed to experience in real life.
Second life is like other RPG I’ve played. You have the chance to choose the appearance of your avatar, and need to work or complete certain tasks for money. Always want to try a totally different life style, I chose one of the defaults features “nightclub”. By adjusting her appearance, I tried my best to make her look like me, but improved a lot of course. It’s interesting that although users are permitted to set their avatar to be any way they want it to be, seldom did I come across some horrible looking guys/girls in the street. Most people chose to be “normally” good looking.
Referred to as the Proteus Effect, Yee & Bailenson (2007) suggest that an individuals' digital self-presentation may help dictate that individual’s behavior, independent of how they are perceived by others.
Most girls including myself learned from experience how important their appearance could influence them in their social life. I don’t know how much did my appearance influence me in my second life in the way people treat me, but they are all kind and helpful. Most of the time, I don’t have be the first one to start a chat with strangers. People are willing to chat with a pretty looking girl. But it seems too early to tell how Proteus Effect play a role in this game. Maybe it’s just because I am a newbie, and people are just trying to help. So I decided to change my appearance. In their study, Yee & Bailenson tested the effects of attractiveness, and found that participants with more attractive avatars walked closer to a confederate and exhibited higher degrees of self-disclosure than those with unattractive avatars in virtual reality. I found it really true, when I put more than 20 pounds on my body, I found that I don’t have to stop and chat anymore. People suddenly became obviously less interested.
I found it fun to spend an hour sitting in front of my computer to have another life. But after that, I am not likely to spend more time in virtual space. Maybe the reason why lots of people are willing to spend hours on Role Playing Games is the ability it offered to have an appearance they want and experience a whole new world they failed to experience in real life.
Assignment #10
For this assignment, I decided to play Second Life due to all the recent media hype surrounding it (and its free). After signing up and choosing my name, Patch Pomilio, I joined the game world and was able to explore. When I chose my avatar, I decided to be the default city guy. I felt this appropriate and accurate due to my actual life experiences.
Once I entered the game, I had no clue what to do. There were a lot of logistical things to learn before you can actually play the game. For example, how to maneuver, to find different locations, and to communicate with others. Upon entering the game world, I initially asked a few avatars I saw for some help. Both guys were more than glad to help and took a few minutes to explain me the ins and outs of the game. One guy pointed me to some landmarks that I can get some free stuff and basically held my hand for about 15 minutes while I got comfortable playing the game. Overall, this experience was different than any others I’ve had where I entered a new game space already filled with experienced players. In other games, users were rude and antagonistic, while in Second Life, the users were friendly and helpful.
I noticed that when I first started playing and seeking help, my communication was more formal and polite than normal. I wanted to type in full sentences and not use AIM-oriented abbreviations to appear more genuine and mature. I didn’t want others to scoff at me thinking I am some 12 year old that is just going to screw around in the game. However, as time went on in-game and I became more comfortable, my typed-word began to resemble how I normally communicate.
Yee and Bailson describe the Proteus Effect as conforming to behaviors others expect them to have based on their avatars. I observed this slightly while I played Second Life. The default city guy is tall and good looking; I think this is the reason users were friendly to me upon first starting. Just as real-life, physical attractiveness plays a large role in how others socialize with you.
#10 - 2nd life
I played the game Second Life, a computer-based multi-player virtual reality. The space was synchronous and allowed each user to create an avatar resembling a human person. Second Life allowed me to alter every aspect of my appearance such as nose size or hand size. All cues collected through the game were based on the avatar or text-based cues.
Upon entering the space, I chose one of the five default avatar types: Girl next door, Harajuku, Gothic, City, or Club. I chose Girl next door. Based on Yee & Bailenson’s attractiveness rating, my avatar was at medium attractiveness. I was mostly ignored for the first half of my experience. I had regular brown hair, a purple sweater, tennis shoes, and jeans. When I happened upon new communities, I collected new clothing and altered my appearance. I made my avatar taller and increased its attractiveness to high attractiveness. After doing this, I was not only greeted more often, but I received many private IMs. I was distinct from everyone else because I was relatively simple in my attire yet unique because my clothes were not from a popular store.
The Proteus Effect describes the change in a person’s behavior to conform to that which others would expect them to have. In terms of virtual reality, users may conform to the stereotypes or expectations of their avatars. In the case of my one hour experience, the Proteus Effect was supported. When my avatar was shorter, people would bump into me, ignore me, and remain annoying close to me so that my view was blocked. Upon increasing my height, I found less people bumping into me. Rather, I began to bump into others. Also, others were surprised to realize that I described myself as shy. They would often say I didn’t seem shy. After hearing this, I began to act less shy, especially as more people began to individually message me.
Overall, my experience supported the article by Yee & Bailenson. The attractiveness and height of my avatar affected my behavior. I conformed to the beliefs of those around me; the more tall I became, the more assertive I was; the more attractive I became, the more liked and noticed I was. I also began to act more assertively and felt more confident in the space I was in.
Upon entering the space, I chose one of the five default avatar types: Girl next door, Harajuku, Gothic, City, or Club. I chose Girl next door. Based on Yee & Bailenson’s attractiveness rating, my avatar was at medium attractiveness. I was mostly ignored for the first half of my experience. I had regular brown hair, a purple sweater, tennis shoes, and jeans. When I happened upon new communities, I collected new clothing and altered my appearance. I made my avatar taller and increased its attractiveness to high attractiveness. After doing this, I was not only greeted more often, but I received many private IMs. I was distinct from everyone else because I was relatively simple in my attire yet unique because my clothes were not from a popular store.
The Proteus Effect describes the change in a person’s behavior to conform to that which others would expect them to have. In terms of virtual reality, users may conform to the stereotypes or expectations of their avatars. In the case of my one hour experience, the Proteus Effect was supported. When my avatar was shorter, people would bump into me, ignore me, and remain annoying close to me so that my view was blocked. Upon increasing my height, I found less people bumping into me. Rather, I began to bump into others. Also, others were surprised to realize that I described myself as shy. They would often say I didn’t seem shy. After hearing this, I began to act less shy, especially as more people began to individually message me.
Overall, my experience supported the article by Yee & Bailenson. The attractiveness and height of my avatar affected my behavior. I conformed to the beliefs of those around me; the more tall I became, the more assertive I was; the more attractive I became, the more liked and noticed I was. I also began to act more assertively and felt more confident in the space I was in.
#10: Meet Drake Selentiak: Your Boy/Avatar-Next-Door
I must begin by stating that when beginning this assignment, I had little interest (if not none!) in online videogames or computer-based gaming. I had no idea where to even begin in regards to searching for an online gaming site. However, after a brief introduction to it in class and after hearing a few blurbs about in on TV and on the internet, I decided to check out “Second Life.” After spending what felt like nearly a half hour of searching for an available name and downloading the needed software, I was ready to first-handedly investigate “the big deal” regarding the online life of avatars and “created lands.” With the name “Drake Selentiak” I begin learning more about this emerging phenomenon of “perfect worlds” and “friends.”
When I first entered the “land” I quickly realized that my avatar looked EXACTLY like at least 10 of the other avatars in the room! I had to change and personalize “Drake Selentiak” to make him distinguishable from the others in the room. I began by giving him appearance that resembled my own—I gave him black hair, brown eyes, fair complexion, and even decked him blue clothing that emphasized my own fashion and colors tastes. I was then going to make “Drake” more anatomically similar to me, but then for a moment I hesitated. For some reason I decided to make my avatar a bit more masculine and “buff” than I am in real life. For a moment I did feel a rush of confidence and excitement because of the appearance of my avatar. However, this quickly faded because I became aware of my surroundings—I was totally lost! I had no idea how to maneuver or guide the avatar around the strangely designed “land.” Even though I had an amazingly attractive avatar (if I may say so, myself!), I found myself not reacting any differently than I would have if it were actually myself in the land and not a digital avatar.
After roaming the strange surroundings and occasionally altering my appearance and chatting with a few other avatars for approximately an hour, I came to the conclusion that my interactions do not necessarily support the suggestions of Yee and Bailenson (2007). According to their research on the Proteus Effect, it is suggested that the Proteus Effect occurs when users in online environments conform to the expectations and stereotypes of the identity of their avatar. As mentioned, my avatar was a bit more athletic and buff that my actual appearance. However, I did not let this appearance affect my behavior and interactions. I could have easily approached others that seemed equally as attractive or athletic, but I did not. I did feel a bit of confidence initially, but this ultimately did not affect behavior; I decided to mostly remain to myself and only chat with those who approached me. This may be the result of being in a new online environment and the fact that I had to learn so much in such a short period of time. When others approached me, I chatted and replied to them in a manner that I, myself, would have responded.
Though I am still a “newbie” to the phenomenon, I am rather intrigued my “Second Life” and the role of avatars. Even though my own avatar resembles me to a great extent, I can’t help but wonder how many of the avatars in “Second Life” are completely different than their creators. Is it really possible for others to rely on a digital character to give so much confidence in regard to communicating with others while online? If so, I then wonder about how many of these avatars actually resemble the creator and how many of them are deceiving.
To me, the concept of using avatars to understand and “get to know” other online players is still a bit odd. Call me old fashioned, but I think I’d much rather prefer my first life in comparison to my “second life!”
When I first entered the “land” I quickly realized that my avatar looked EXACTLY like at least 10 of the other avatars in the room! I had to change and personalize “Drake Selentiak” to make him distinguishable from the others in the room. I began by giving him appearance that resembled my own—I gave him black hair, brown eyes, fair complexion, and even decked him blue clothing that emphasized my own fashion and colors tastes. I was then going to make “Drake” more anatomically similar to me, but then for a moment I hesitated. For some reason I decided to make my avatar a bit more masculine and “buff” than I am in real life. For a moment I did feel a rush of confidence and excitement because of the appearance of my avatar. However, this quickly faded because I became aware of my surroundings—I was totally lost! I had no idea how to maneuver or guide the avatar around the strangely designed “land.” Even though I had an amazingly attractive avatar (if I may say so, myself!), I found myself not reacting any differently than I would have if it were actually myself in the land and not a digital avatar.
After roaming the strange surroundings and occasionally altering my appearance and chatting with a few other avatars for approximately an hour, I came to the conclusion that my interactions do not necessarily support the suggestions of Yee and Bailenson (2007). According to their research on the Proteus Effect, it is suggested that the Proteus Effect occurs when users in online environments conform to the expectations and stereotypes of the identity of their avatar. As mentioned, my avatar was a bit more athletic and buff that my actual appearance. However, I did not let this appearance affect my behavior and interactions. I could have easily approached others that seemed equally as attractive or athletic, but I did not. I did feel a bit of confidence initially, but this ultimately did not affect behavior; I decided to mostly remain to myself and only chat with those who approached me. This may be the result of being in a new online environment and the fact that I had to learn so much in such a short period of time. When others approached me, I chatted and replied to them in a manner that I, myself, would have responded.
Though I am still a “newbie” to the phenomenon, I am rather intrigued my “Second Life” and the role of avatars. Even though my own avatar resembles me to a great extent, I can’t help but wonder how many of the avatars in “Second Life” are completely different than their creators. Is it really possible for others to rely on a digital character to give so much confidence in regard to communicating with others while online? If so, I then wonder about how many of these avatars actually resemble the creator and how many of them are deceiving.
To me, the concept of using avatars to understand and “get to know” other online players is still a bit odd. Call me old fashioned, but I think I’d much rather prefer my first life in comparison to my “second life!”
- Joshua Navarro
My Comments:
http://comm245purple.blogspot.com/2007/11/second-life-not-worth-living.html
http://comm245purple.blogspot.com/2007/11/assignment-10-second-life.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)