Constructing my Online Self: Avatars that Increase Self-focused Attention

Three studies investigated whether users' strategies for customising online avatars increase their self-focused attention, also known as private self-awareness. Study I showed that a high number of users adapt their avatars to reflect their own appearance. Study 2 demonstrated that users who perceive their avatars to be similar to their own appearance experience as a result heightened private self-awareness. In Study 3, private self-awareness pervaded social interaction taking place over time when users with representative avatars, compared to a control group, reported increased private self-awareness. Drawing from research in interpersonal communication, we suggest that avatars which increase their owners' self-focus may have an influence on online behavior in the context of social computing.