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

TLDR

Online consumption is increasingly emphasized in the digital era, prompting investigation into avatar–self relationships and product attachment. The study aims to explore how avatar–self relationships relate to product attachment. Participants created avatars and selected virtual possessions to embody identity elements within their virtual presence. Results show that real and virtual attributes and emotions influence attachment, with males emphasizing functional product meaning and hidden selves, females emphasizing ideal selves and symbolic product meaning, and female experimentation reflecting ambivalence toward social norms.

Abstract

ABSTRACT 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.