My avatar and the affirmed self : psychological and persuasive implications of avatar customization

• Main Authors: Kang, Hyunjin, Kim, Hye Kyung
• Other Authors: Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Social sciences::Communication; Avatar; Customization
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/151039
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Avatars are now used widely across digital content and services, and creating one's own avatar through customization has become a common user activity on digital media. This study focuses on the process involved in avatar customization, which requires engaged self-reflection. We test whether avatar customization enhances persuasive effects through self-affirmation in three lab experiments. Study 1 (N = 126) finds that avatar customization meets the key criteria of the self-affirmation task—self-appraisal and self-awareness—equivalent to a widely-used self-affirmation method based on essay writing. The study also finds that avatar customization significantly enhances how participants feel about themselves. Study 2a (N = 102) and 2b (N = 76) further shows that avatar customization (vs. a matched control) improves persuasion by reducing defensive processing of self-threatening health information. The findings offer important insights for understanding the psychology of avatar customization and its potential utility in communications practice.