Individual motivations and demographic differences in social virtual world uses: An exploratory investigation in Second Life

Zhou, Zhongyun; Jin, Xiaoling; Vogel, Douglas R.; Fang, Yulin; Chen, Xiaojian

doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2010.07.007

Cited by 140 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Sexual ageplay has been of particular concern within massively-multiuser online games (MMOG) such as SL due to the fluid and anonymous nature of these virtual social environments; being flexible playing platforms in which users (hereafter referred to by their preferred moniker of residents) can socially interact with other residents in real-time through highly manipulatable avatars in ways not unlike in the real world, but unfettered by social and physical boundaries (Zhou et al 2011). Residents can have one or more avatars (known colloquially as an avi or ava) that are created to represent anything or anyone they wish.…”

Section: Virtual Sexual Ageplay In Second Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

The virtual simulation of child sexual abuse: online gameworld users’ views, understanding and responses to sexual ageplay

Reeves

2018

Ethics Inf Technol

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This paper explores cultural understandings of virtual sexual ageplay in the online world of Second Life. Online sexual ageplay is the virtual simulation of child abuse by consensual adults operating in-world with child computer characters (avatars). Second Life is primarily governed by Community Standards which rely on residents (the users of Second Life) to recognise sexual ageplay and report it, which requires an appreciation of how residents view, understand and construct sexual ageplay. The research presented drew on 12 months of resident blog posts referring to sexual ageplay: 263 total, with 91 residents. The analysis of this talk explores the cultural understandings of this banned behaviour and beliefs about the nature of Second Life which underpin residents' likelihood to report sexual ageplay and so comply with the Community Standards. In considering these issues the paper is able to highlight issues regarding the unique cultural position of abuse against children and key concerns which underpin the reporting behaviour of residents. Key considerations relate to defining online sexual activity and child avatars; the moral status of 'reporters', and sexual ageplay as a form of edgeplay; belief in the harmfulness of sexual ageplay and its relationship to real world behaviours.

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Section: Virtual Sexual Ageplay In Second Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

The virtual simulation of child sexual abuse: online gameworld users’ views, understanding and responses to sexual ageplay

Reeves

2018

Ethics Inf Technol

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“…The positive effects on user motivation of entertaining and interactive environments which feature eye-catching objects has been amply demonstrated (Allison, Miller, Sturgeon, Nicoll, & Perera, 2010;Horton, 2000;Sancho, Torrente, & Fernández-Manjón, 2009). Because 3-D virtual worlds possess such objects, those environments are thought to stimulate motivation levels (Falloon, 2010;Iqbal, Kankaanranta, & Neittaanmaki, 2010;Sierra, Gutiérrez, Garzón-Castro, 2012;Zhou, Jin, Vogel, Fang, & Chen, 2011). In the literature, it has also been demonstrated that other features of 3-D environments, such as interactions between users and between individual users and the environment, participation in the provided activities, and the feeling of being truly in the environment (Kapp & Driscoll, 2010) all increase the users' learning capacities (Mishra, 2009).…”

Section: Motivation In 3-d Virtual Worldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Being granted opportunities to show their talents in these environments (Xu, Park, & Baek, 2011) and enjoying interesting experiences while processing the applications additionally enhance motivation (Cheng & Wang, 2011). Zhou et al (2011) explained that stimulating motivation in 3-D virtual worlds requires the inclusion of various applications in the design, which take individual user differences into consideration, permit entertaining and relaxing experiences, and allow opportunities for users to socialize in the environment.…”

Section: Motivation In 3-d Virtual Worldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to increase the number of participants who will use these 3-D environments, motivation levels must be carefully considered (Zhou et al, 2011). The relationships between motivation and socialization, individual differences (Zhou et al, 2011), satisfaction (Bulu & Isler, 2011), interaction, and presence (Kapp & Driscoll, 2010) have been considered.…”

Section: Social Presence In 3-d Virtual Worldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relationships between motivation and socialization, individual differences (Zhou et al, 2011), satisfaction (Bulu & Isler, 2011), interaction, and presence (Kapp & Driscoll, 2010) have been considered. But social presence has not yet been fully examined in the context of education.…”

Section: Social Presence In 3-d Virtual Worldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Social presence and motivation in a three-dimensional virtual world: An explanatory study

Yılmaz

Topu

Göktaş

et al. 2013

AJET

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Three-dimensional (3-D) virtual worlds differ from other learning environments in their similarity to real life, providing opportunities for more effective communication and interaction. With these features, 3-D virtual worlds possess considerable potential to enhance learning opportunities. For effective learning, the users' motivation levels and social presence are important. In this study, the motivation and social presence levels of 42 prospective teachers were measured as they engaged in an Open Simulator 3-D virtual world. Related factors affecting motivation and social presence levels were also examined. An explanatory mixed method design was used in this study. Interviews and three different questionnaires were employed. The quantitative results show that the motivation and social presence levels of the participants were high. The qualitative results also revealed several pertinent factors that are related to motivation and social presence. These factors, which include the particular environment and participant satisfaction, clearly affected motivation while the participants were learning new information. Other factors, such as being relaxed, effective communications, and not feeling lonely in the environment affected the social presence measures. Lastly, the participants perceived the environment as warm and sociable. The results suggest that these factors should be taken into account when 3-D virtual learning environments are being designed.

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“My Avatar and Her Beloved Possession”: Characteristics of Attachment to Virtual Objects

Nagy

Köles

2014

Psychology and Marketing

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Given the increasing emphasis on online consumption in our digital era, the current study aimed to explore the avatar–self relationship in association with the concept of product attachment. Through constructing their own avatars and selecting certain virtual possessions for them, participants in the sample were able to represent different elements of their identities to be manifested in their embodied virtual presence. Certain attributes and emotions characterizing both the real as well as the virtual existence of participants appeared to exert important influences. Additional gender differences emerged, in that males were more likely to represent their possible and hidden self‐aspects, and focus on the functional meaning of virtual products, while females were more likely to reveal their ideal selves, and attach symbolic meaning to their virtual possessions. For female participants, the role of experimentation emerged as an important construct, with their avatars often reflecting upon their ambivalence toward perceived social norms and societal expectations. Implications for scholars and practitioners are discussed.

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Individual motivations and demographic differences in social virtual world uses: An exploratory investigation in Second Life

Cited by 140 publications

References 33 publications

The virtual simulation of child sexual abuse: online gameworld users’ views, understanding and responses to sexual ageplay

The virtual simulation of child sexual abuse: online gameworld users’ views, understanding and responses to sexual ageplay

Social presence and motivation in a three-dimensional virtual world: An explanatory study

“My Avatar and Her Beloved Possession”: Characteristics of Attachment to Virtual Objects

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