For this assignment, I decided to explore Second Life, an online graphical game. Second Life fits under the definition of a collaborative virtual environment (CVE), which Yee and Bailenson describe as being a “communication system in which multiple interactants share the same three-dimensional digital space despite occupying remote physical locations” (275). In Second Life, people can personalize their own avatars however they want; at any point in the game, they also can change their appearance. There is no real objective in Second Life. No one “wins” the game. Instead, Second Life is simply a virtual space in which people can chat and interact with other people’s avatars.
In Second Life, I decided to make an avatar that was different from who I am in real life. I kept my real name for my character, but I made my avatar overweight with many freckles and red hair. My avatar was 70 inches tall, a tall height for a woman. In general, I tried to make my avatar look plain and average.
Interacting with people on Second Life was difficult. I was reluctant to start conversations with others, and people generally did not take the initiative to talk to me, especially in crowded spaces. I also tended to skirt around people and tried to avoid bumping into anyone. My avoidance of others may have been related to my avatar’s unattractiveness. Yee and Bailenson found that people who had “more attractive avatars...were more willing to approach opposite-gendered strangers” than people with unattractive avatars (285). Because I found my avatar rather unattractive, I was afraid to approach people because I thought that they would be turned away by my appearance. If I had chosen to make an attractive avatar, I may have been more inclined to approach people and step closer to them.
Yee and Bailenson also found that the heights of people’s avatars impacted “how confident” they were (285); the taller people were, the more confident they were. However, I found that I was unconfident in Second Life, even though my avatar was tall. One possible reason for the difference between Yee and Bailenson’s findings and my experience was the fact that Yee and Bailenson tested attractiveness and height separately, while both factors played a role in my Second Life experience. My avatar’s unattractiveness overshadowed any confidence that my avatar’s height might have otherwise given me. I was so preoccupied with my avatar’s plainness that height had no influence on my confidence.
Furthermore, when I did manage to start conversations with people, they were generally quick and shallow. For example, a man named “Marcuss” started a conversation with me, saying hello and asking me where I was from. However, our conversation ended at that point for a couple of reasons: one was because I gave him a quick response, refraining from elaborating after I said that I was from New York. Another reason our conversation was cut short was because Marcuss decided to start a conversation with a more attractive avatar. I also interacted with “Hazan,” who began the conversation with, “Hey, what’s up?” Not having much to say, I answered, “Nothing much.” Our conversation ended at that point when Hazan ran away.
In their study, Yee and Bailenson found that people “who had more attractive avatars exhibited increased self-disclosure” than people who had unattractive avatars (285). I found Yee and Bailenson’s conclusion to be true for my experience on Second Life. Because my avatar was unattractive, I assumed that people would not be interested in getting to know me in the first place. Thus, I gave short, unelaborated responses. Behavioral confirmation was also a factor in my interactions. Since Marcuss ignored me for my unattractiveness, I confirmed his view of me by acting antisocial. This introversion played a role in my future interactions, as I avoided self-disclosing to others for fear of being rejected again.
For the most part, my experience in Second Life confirmed Yee and Bailenson's Proteus Effect, under which people "conform to the behavior that they believe others would expect them to have" (274). Since my avatar was unattractive, I expected people to be reluctant to get to know me. In turn, this expectation caused me to become antisocial and resistant to starting conversations with others. In conversations that I did have, I was abrupt and curt since I thought people would expect those kinds of responses from me.
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Hey Alice, it seems like you didn't have a very fun experience in 2nd Life. I agree that part of it did have to do with you feeling that your avatar was ugly so you acted with less confidence. As a result of your lowered confidence, you exhibited less self-disclosure. However, I also think that having a fun experience on 2nd Life does have to do with some luck and who you happen to meet. This idea is not discussed in Yee and Bailenson's paper. For example, in my own experience in 2nd Life, I originally was rejected by several people, until finally I came accross a very friendly avatar. I don't know if I behaved any differenly due to my attractive avatar's appearance that prompted this friendship; or if it was just luck that I ran into a friendly person who would have helped anyone in need.
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