“‘Avatar’ asks us to
see that everything is
connected, all human
beings to each other,
and us to the Earth.

And if you have to go
four-and-a-half light-

• The expression your avatar makes often affects how your communication with others is perceived.

years to another, made-
up planet to appreciate
this miracle of the
world that we have
right here, well, you
know what, that’s the
wonder of cinema right
there, that’s the magic.”
—James Cameron, Director, ‘Avatar’ [ 13]

drawing on a repertoire of postures. In digital environments, the direct relationship between face and message is often disconnected. While there is direct control over one’s face— an obvious advantage—that control takes manual labor. Social tools—instant messenger, Facebook, Twitter, to name a few—have avatars that are, by default, static. The access to change is just as possible as it is in face-to-face communications, but there is less fluent movement from thought to action, as the user must go through the non-delicate process of uploading an image. If changing one’s face required a step-by-step process each time—no matter what the media—my guess is we’d all be a lot less diplomatic. Marshall McLuhan notwithstanding.

Recent studies show that
avatars are more than just a
pretty face. Two separate stud-
ies concluded that one’s avatar
not only affects how a message
is received, but also how indi-
viduals interpret it. The higher
the attractiveness of the ava-
tar, the more intimate people
are willing to be with strang-
ers. People with taller avatars
negotiate more aggressively in
face-to-face interactions than
participants with shorter ava-
tars [ 4]. Further, people more
frequently chose human ava-
tars that match their own gen-
der. Avatars that participants
perceived to be more attractive
were found to be more credible
and homophilous, and par-
ticipants were more likely to
choose them as their own [ 5].

add content, mix signals When someone gives you mixed signals, it’s difficult to know what to read. He is agreeing to the project, but frowning. She is shaking her head, but saying yes. What happens when an avatar, the visual representation of a person’s expression, is paired with content contrary to his statement? Consider a pas-