Metaverse Health

In the past week, the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research released its second issue, and one article that caught my eye from a health viewpoint is a research paper titled:

Ugly Duckling by Day, Super Model by Night: The Influence of Body Image on the Use of Virtual Worlds

The intent of the study was to determine the relationship of body image perception and the decision to use virtual worlds. 252 individuals were surveyed on some key measures: telepresence, physical attractiveness, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms. The inidividual variables alone make for interesting reading, particularly telepresence, but the interrelationship is the focus of the research. The results? In a nutshell:

The results indicate that telepresence attitude, subjective norms, and the desire to become someone else are directly related to the use of virtual worlds and the influence of body image on the use of virtual worlds is mediated by the desire to become someone else

What this means is that the primary driver for people using virtual worlds is the ability to feel close to others and to be able to transmit emotions. The issue of becoming someone else and body image were found to be only the third biggest influence.

The authors make the firm point of what may determine success for business or individuals in virtual worlds:

These results highlight the relational aspect of virtual worlds which suggest that if individuals and firms want to be successful in virtual worlds, they should concentrate on providing relational experiences.

Who would have thought – people want to socialise with other people.