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

背景：我们正在见证沉浸式协作虚拟环境（ve）的普及。像《Roblox》和《Decentraland》这样的虚拟世界与虚拟世界的理念相关联，即以一种全新的方式整合物理和虚拟互动。尤其是年轻人，现在使用电子商务进行社交、娱乐、教育和商业活动，从而使电子商务融入日常生活。重要的是，虚拟现实用户通过自我形象来表现自己，这些形象与用户在线下的外表有很大的相似之处，为虚拟地体验身份和自我提供了新的手段。这个项目调查了个人如何与这些自我形象联系起来，以及这是否会影响心理健康，特别是如果它能让他们的生活更有意义（或更少）。自我形象可以让用户实现渴望和特征，例如以不同性别出现，或者只是为了看起来很酷，但也有可能让用户对现实生活感到更加失望，因为现实生活无法与虚拟世界的承诺相提并论。牛津互联网研究所（Oxford Internet Institute）和世界经济论坛（World Economic Forum）的全球未来理事会（Global Future Council）就增强和虚拟现实（Augmented and Virtual Reality）发布的进一步研究呼吁，证明了人们越来越迫切地需要了解在线平台对心理健康的影响。英国议会甚至也在讨论这个话题，因为自2019年以来一直在审议《数字改变身体法案》，强调需要制定新的立法，保护在线平台用户免受心理健康伤害。然而，虚拟现实的最新发展开辟了新的可能性，需要对人们如何与他们的虚拟形象建立联系有新的理解。特别是，它是如何影响他们感知自己的方式的？目的：1)本研究将提供新的知识，直接有利于数字营销，人机交互和外观研究的学者。这将包括：a)关于自我化身、虚拟现实和心理健康之间联系的新理论框架；b)探索性人机交互研究，通过参与者观察和深度访谈检查实时VE交互；c)一系列实验研究测试了虚拟现实能力和虚拟形象定制对自我相关方面和意义（作为心理健康的关键组成部分）的因果影响。2)项目将直接惠及VE用户。两个虚拟活动将开展讨论并提高对这一主题的认识。该团队还将创建易于使用的资源，名为“我关心我和我的化身”，以帮助提高心理健康。3)与行业、政策制定者和学术利益相关者的合作将扩大关于负责任地部署虚拟企业和虚拟世界的讨论。这将包括：a)早期报告；b)关于在虚拟环境和未来元宇宙中实现有意义的人类可视化的宣言；C)随这两项产出的推出举办两个讲习班；d)通过一系列机制保持利益相关者的持续参与：通过高级顾问委员会和ESRC社会数字未来中心建立网络；私家侦探积极参与公共活动；通过项目网站和社交媒体向利益相关者通报正在进行的活动。4)本项目将创建新的跨学科网络和科学方法，以解决与虚拟现实和虚拟世界以及心理健康相关的相关现象。这些网络将使未来相关的研究建议（国际资助投标）成为可能。5)研究和影响活动的交付将使PI发展成为一个完全独立的研究人员。通过利用她现有的专业知识，她将在新兴相关领域发展思想领导力，从而使布里斯托尔大学和项目合作伙伴能够发挥作用。

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.