The rise of self-avatars in collaborative virtual environments and their consequences for users' mental well-being

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Context:We are witnessing a rise in the popularity of immersive collaborative virtual environments (VEs). These VEs - such as Roblox and Decentraland - are associated with the ideas of the metaverse envisioned to integrate physical and virtual interactions in a radically novel manner. Young people in particular are now using VEs for social interactions, entertainment, education and commercial activities, thus embedding them in everyday life. Importantly, VE users represent themselves via self-avatars, which vary greatly in terms of their resemblance to the users' offline appearance and offer new means for experimenting virtually with identity and the self. This project investigates how individuals relate to these self-avatars and whether this can impact mental well-being, particularly if it can make their lives more (or less) meaningful. Self-avatars could allow users to realise longing desires and traits, for instance to appear as a different gender or simply to look cool, but there is also a risk of users feeling more disillusioned with their offline life, which cannot match the promise of virtual worlds. There is a growing sense of urgency to understand the consequences of online platforms for mental well-being, as evidenced by the calls for further research issued by the Oxford Internet Institute and the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Augmented and Virtual Reality. This topic is even being discussed by the UK parliament, as the Digitally Altered Body Bill has been under consideration since 2019, highlighting the need for new legislation that would protect users of online platforms from mental health harms. However, the latest developments of VEs open up new possibilities, requiring new understandings into how people relate to their avatars. In particular, how does it affect the way they perceive themselves?Objectives:1) This research will contribute new knowledge, which will directly benefit academics in digital marketing, human-computer interaction and appearance research. This will encompass:a) New theoretical framings about the links between the self-avatars, VEs and mental well-being; b) Exploratory human-computer interaction studies examining real-time VE interactions through participant observations and in-depth interviews; c) A series of experimental studies testing the causal effects of VEs' capabilities and avatar customisation on self-related aspects and meaningfulness as a key component of mental well-being. 2) The project will directly benefit VE users. Two virtual events will develop discussions and raise awareness about this topic. The team will also create easy-to-use resources entitled "I Care about Me and My Avatar" to help enhance mental well-being. 3) Engagement with industry, policy makers and academic stakeholders will expand the discourse on responsible deployment of VEs and the metaverse. This will include:a) the early-stage report; b) A Manifesto on Meaningful Human Visualisation in Virtual Environments and the Future Metaverse;c) two workshops accompanying the launch of these two outputs;d) sustained stakeholder engagement through a range of mechanisms: network building through a senior advisory board and ESRC Centre for Sociodigital Futures; the PI's active participation at public events; informing stakeholders about ongoing activities via the project website and engagement via social media. 4) This project will create new interdisciplinary networks and scientific approaches to tackle relevant phenomena related to VEs and metaverse and mental well-being. These networks will enable related future research proposals (international funding bids).5) The delivery of research and impact activities will allow the PI to develop into a fully independent researcher. By leveraging her existing expertise, she will grow thought leadership in the area of emergent relevance, thus enabling the University of Bristol and the project partners.