For the first time in my life, I played a computer-based multi-player videogame. The game I played was Second Life. Yee and Bailenson describe Second Life as a social world “using over 150 unique sliders, they can change everything from their foot size to their eye color to the cut of their shirt” (p. 272). When my character was first created, it appeared as a skinny girl with brown hair. After asking numerous other avatars how to change my appearance, one lady gave me specific directions as to how to change my features. I also learned how to fly and gain inventory. The Second Life online space was very difficult to navigate through, especially for a first-timer. If it was not for this assignment, I do not think I would have ever entered into a computer-based multi-player videogame. Now that I have entered a computer-based multi-player videogame, like Second Life, I might re-enter (if I am every really bored).
In Yee’s and Bailenson’s article they discuss the implications of the Proteus Effect with regards to social interactions in online environments. The Proteus Effect is when one conforms to the behavior that they believe others would expect them to have. The Proteus Effect emphasizes conformity to individual identity cues, such as becoming friendlier in an attractive avatar. Yee and Bailenson believe that our avatars change how we interact with others. They state, “In an online environment, a perceiver interacting with a target who is using an attractive avatar may cause the target to behave in a more friendly and charming manner” (p. 272). When I was an avatar in Second Life, the attractiveness of my avatar did not change how I interacted with others. My features went from unattractive and fat to attractive and skinny, but my interactions with others remained constant. However, I was more likely to start talking to a more attractive avatar rather than a less attractive one. In my head, I thought more attractive avatars were nicer.
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Hi Mallory,
Good job on the blog! I do agree with you on the fact that I would have never gone on Second Life if it was not for this assignment. But looking at various other millions of people online and the publicity it is getting on TV (It was on ‘The Office’), I would say that Second Life is a really huge phenomena. It was also interesting to learn that your actions did not follow what Yee and Bailenson study concluded. Their hypothesis was that if one feels more attractive they are more likely to approach others. I also experienced similar feelings about talking more to attractive avatars and could self disclose more to them. It would be interesting to see if our behavior would change if we spend more time on Second Life and not treat it like an assignment. All in all, this was a good post with similar findings to mine.
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