What Is the Psychological Role of the Virtual Self in Online Worlds? A Scoping Review
Several studies have researched how people can use the anonymity of the Internet to explore different aspects of their identity. There are many different platforms where one can create a “virtual self” by actively choosing how one presents themselves to others, and each one is designed with differen...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Multimodal Technologies and Interaction |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-4088/7/12/109 |
| _version_ | 1797379886783922176 |
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| author | Adrià Gabarnet Guillem Feixas Adrián Montesano |
| author_facet | Adrià Gabarnet Guillem Feixas Adrián Montesano |
| author_sort | Adrià Gabarnet |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Several studies have researched how people can use the anonymity of the Internet to explore different aspects of their identity. There are many different platforms where one can create a “virtual self” by actively choosing how one presents themselves to others, and each one is designed with different characteristics depending on their purpose: from socialization to professional networking or even entertainment. Different studies have usually focused on specific platforms, but there is no one comparing how people construe their virtual self across different online environments. In this review, we aimed to synthesize research studies carried out about the construal of one’s identity within online platforms and how it can relate to different aspects of participants’ offline identity, such as their self-esteem or self-concept clarity. Data were gathered from 34 publications that researched this topic across different kinds of online platforms. We conducted a quality assessment and a narrative synthesis, reporting and comparing the main findings, as well as identifying possible gaps in the literature. Many studies have explored the idea of people creating either an idealized or accurate version of themselves when construing their online identities. Others have also contemplated the possibility of exploring identities that diverge from both the actual and the ideal self or even an actively negative one. The latter was studied more in the context of video games and other avatar-mediated worlds. We found that people with low self-esteem create a more idealized virtual identity rather than a virtual self that is similar to their offline self. Other variables such as the purpose for using the online platform or self-concept clarity also had a role in virtual self construal, although the latter was only studied in the context of social media. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:29:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f2e02b2abeae42adba94d522dbe1e0b2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2414-4088 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:29:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Multimodal Technologies and Interaction |
| spelling | doaj.art-f2e02b2abeae42adba94d522dbe1e0b22023-12-22T14:28:49ZengMDPI AGMultimodal Technologies and Interaction2414-40882023-11-0171210910.3390/mti7120109What Is the Psychological Role of the Virtual Self in Online Worlds? A Scoping ReviewAdrià Gabarnet0Guillem Feixas1Adrián Montesano2Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat de Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat de Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Psychology and Educational Sciences Studies, Open University of Catalonia, 08035 Barcelona, SpainSeveral studies have researched how people can use the anonymity of the Internet to explore different aspects of their identity. There are many different platforms where one can create a “virtual self” by actively choosing how one presents themselves to others, and each one is designed with different characteristics depending on their purpose: from socialization to professional networking or even entertainment. Different studies have usually focused on specific platforms, but there is no one comparing how people construe their virtual self across different online environments. In this review, we aimed to synthesize research studies carried out about the construal of one’s identity within online platforms and how it can relate to different aspects of participants’ offline identity, such as their self-esteem or self-concept clarity. Data were gathered from 34 publications that researched this topic across different kinds of online platforms. We conducted a quality assessment and a narrative synthesis, reporting and comparing the main findings, as well as identifying possible gaps in the literature. Many studies have explored the idea of people creating either an idealized or accurate version of themselves when construing their online identities. Others have also contemplated the possibility of exploring identities that diverge from both the actual and the ideal self or even an actively negative one. The latter was studied more in the context of video games and other avatar-mediated worlds. We found that people with low self-esteem create a more idealized virtual identity rather than a virtual self that is similar to their offline self. Other variables such as the purpose for using the online platform or self-concept clarity also had a role in virtual self construal, although the latter was only studied in the context of social media.https://www.mdpi.com/2414-4088/7/12/109virtual selfvirtual environmentonline video gamesocial mediavirtual identity |
| spellingShingle | Adrià Gabarnet Guillem Feixas Adrián Montesano What Is the Psychological Role of the Virtual Self in Online Worlds? A Scoping Review Multimodal Technologies and Interaction virtual self virtual environment online video game social media virtual identity |
| title | What Is the Psychological Role of the Virtual Self in Online Worlds? A Scoping Review |
| title_full | What Is the Psychological Role of the Virtual Self in Online Worlds? A Scoping Review |
| title_fullStr | What Is the Psychological Role of the Virtual Self in Online Worlds? A Scoping Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | What Is the Psychological Role of the Virtual Self in Online Worlds? A Scoping Review |
| title_short | What Is the Psychological Role of the Virtual Self in Online Worlds? A Scoping Review |
| title_sort | what is the psychological role of the virtual self in online worlds a scoping review |
| topic | virtual self virtual environment online video game social media virtual identity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-4088/7/12/109 |
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