Abstract
The Metaverse is an important virtual venue in people's daily lives. This study examined whether pro-environmental behaviors in the Metaverse with a self-customized avatar lead to licensing effects, thereby reducing pro-environmental intention in reality. In addition, the study examined the mediating effect of self-presence on the relationship between avatar customization and pro-environmental behavior. A laboratory experiment was conducted using ZEPETO, a Metaverse platform. A total of 60 participants were randomly assigned to the self-customized avatar condition or the assigned avatar condition, and they engaged in pro-environmental behaviors on the Metaverse platform. Participants with self-customized avatars had less intention to engage in pro-environmental behavior in reality after engaging in pro-environmental behavior in the Metaverse than those with assigned avatars. Furthermore, self-presence partially mediated the relationship between avatar customization and pro-environmental intention.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 709-717 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2022 Nov |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:Copyright © 2022, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Keywords
- Metaverse
- avatar
- licensing effect
- pro-environmental behavior
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Communication
- Applied Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Computer Science Applications