Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 73 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1397-1416 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Communications of the Association for Information Systems |
| Volume | 34 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2014 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- avatar
- server log
- telemetry
- online community,
- assortativity
Cite this
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Determinants of Friendship In Social Networking Virtual Worlds. / Chesney, Thomas; Chuah, Swee Hoon; HUI, Wendy; Hoffmann, Robert; LAMER, Jeremy.
In: Communications of the Association for Information Systems, Vol. 34, 73, 01.2014, p. 1397-1416.Research output: Journal Publications › Journal Article (refereed)
TY - JOUR
T1 - Determinants of Friendship In Social Networking Virtual Worlds
AU - Chesney, Thomas
AU - Chuah, Swee Hoon
AU - HUI, Wendy
AU - Hoffmann, Robert
AU - LAMER, Jeremy
PY - 2014/1
Y1 - 2014/1
N2 - This paper examines the determinants of friendship between two users in a virtual world who are unaware of each other's real identities. Drawing on theories of homophily, heterophily and propinquity, three virtual world behaviours are analysed: avatar appearance, avatar location, and avatar communication. Data are collected on 179 participants interacting in a novel virtual world. The main results show that: (1) avatars did not tend to form friendships with avatars that are similar in appearance to themselves but did tend to form friendships with avatars that are dressed differently from themselves; (2) in terms of location, the closer an avatar stands to other avatars, the more likely the avatar is to receive a friend invitation; and (3) the fewer words an avatar uses in communication, the more likely the avatar is to receive a friend invitation. This paper contributes to theories of virtual world interaction and to using virtual worlds as a data collection platform.
AB - This paper examines the determinants of friendship between two users in a virtual world who are unaware of each other's real identities. Drawing on theories of homophily, heterophily and propinquity, three virtual world behaviours are analysed: avatar appearance, avatar location, and avatar communication. Data are collected on 179 participants interacting in a novel virtual world. The main results show that: (1) avatars did not tend to form friendships with avatars that are similar in appearance to themselves but did tend to form friendships with avatars that are dressed differently from themselves; (2) in terms of location, the closer an avatar stands to other avatars, the more likely the avatar is to receive a friend invitation; and (3) the fewer words an avatar uses in communication, the more likely the avatar is to receive a friend invitation. This paper contributes to theories of virtual world interaction and to using virtual worlds as a data collection platform.
KW - avatar
KW - server log
KW - telemetry
KW - online community,
KW - assortativity
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84900508490&partnerID=40&md5=e3849cf0da07e735ac64bdff5353c668
U2 - 10.17705/1CAIS.03472
DO - 10.17705/1CAIS.03472
M3 - Journal Article (refereed)
VL - 34
SP - 1397
EP - 1416
JO - Communications of the Association for Information Systems
JF - Communications of the Association for Information Systems
SN - 1529-3181
M1 - 73
ER -