Virtual relationships: Anthropomorphism in the digital age

Abstract

For most of human history we have ascribed human‐like capacities to other entities (anthropomorphism). Recently, the digital age has created new entities: virtual agents (VAs). Increasingly, these virtual entities are complex and human‐like, specifically designed to elicit anthropomorphism from their owners and users. We employ social psychological research and theory to review how, why, and when people come to anthropomorphize VAs. Moving beyond static representations, we examine the dynamics of human‐VA relationships and how they are encroaching on the closest of human relationships, virtual love. We use the social psychology of close relationships to examine the ways in which people may form, maintain, and terminate relationships with VAs. We conclude by examining the potential costs and benefits of these new relationships.

Virtually in love: The role of anthropomorphism in virtual romantic relationships

“…For example, women with high attachment avoidance or high attachment anxiety-the degree to which individuals are uncomfortable with intimacy and the degree to which individuals worry about their close relationships, respectively (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2016)-tend to anthropomorphize objects more than less avoidantly or anxiously attached women (Neave, Tyson, McInnes, & Hamilton, 2016). This prior work has focused on the factors which lead people to anthropomorphize, such as sociality motivations, and neglected the potential role of anthropomorphism in helping us form relationships (see Koike & Loughnan, 2021). We propose that once anthropomorphism begins, it may help us build a deeper relationship with non-human entities (see also Kwok, Grisham & Norberg, 2018).…”

“…Alexa, Cortana, Siri), virtual agents are increasingly common. To date, virtual agents have been primarily developed to replace human labour; however, as these agents increase in complexity, they are moving into other, more social domains (for a review, see Koike & Loughnan, 2021). Our romantic lives reflect one such important social domain witnessing the growing involvement of virtual agents.…”

Exploring smart retailing: anthropomorphism in voice shopping of smart speaker

“…A prior study showed that anthropomorphism significantly impacts user privacy concerns in the context of communicating with virtual assistants such as Apple Siri and Google Assistant on mobile devices (Ha et al, 2021). In a previous study regarding building virtual relationships, it was also argued that people could feel comfort and security if virtual agents are perceived as anthropomorphized (Koike and Loughnan, 2021). Therefore, anthropomorphism is inferred to have a positive effect on perceived security in the current study context.…”

Investigating user perceptions of commercial virtual assistants: A qualitative study

“…Anthropomorphism can be defined as “the attribution of distinctively human-like feelings, mental states, and behavioral characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, and in general to natural phenomena and supernatural entities” ( Salles et al, 2020 , p. 89). However, Koike and Loughnan (2021) acknowledge the limitation of the current social psychology models in addressing the complexities of our relations with virtual agents. Similarly, Gambino et al (2020) propose an extension of “computers are social actors framework” (CASA) to account for the recent changes in the interaction of people and technologies.…”