SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Anadolu Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 26 Sayı: 2

Self-Presentation Through Avatars: The Role of the Proteus Effect in Online Communication

Avatarlar ile Benlik Sunumu: Proteus Etkisi’nin Çevrim İçi İletişimdeki Rolü

Kadriye Kobak(SAKARYA UNIVERSITY)0000-0003-4909-416X
Dilek Melike Uluçay(YAŞAR ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-8112-3229
Deniz Özyurda Ergen(YAŞAR ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-2254-4530
Pages
590–610
Publication Date
2026-06-28
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings reveal which avatar characteristics influence users’ self-presentation and behavior in these environments.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:In the digital age, avatars have become a dominant tool for self-presentation in online environments, influencing how individuals present themselves and interact with others.
📊
Key Findings & Data:This study examines the Proteus effect, which suggests that the characteristics of avatars used in digital environments can significantly impact users’ behaviors, attitudes, and self-perceptions.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The findings reveal which avatar characteristics influence users’ self-presentation and behavior in these environments.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Avatar · Proteus Etkisi · benlik sunumu

Abstract

In the digital age, avatars have become a dominant tool for self-presentation in online environments, influencing how individuals present themselves and interact with others. This study examines the Proteus effect, which suggests that the characteristics of avatars used in digital environments can significantly impact users’ behaviors, attitudes, and self-perceptions. The study aims to investigate the role of avatars in online self-presentation, how digital identities are constructed, and how individuals perceive avatar embodiment. Using qualitative research methods, semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with eight participants who frequently engage with avatars in virtual worlds. The findings reveal which avatar characteristics influence users’ self-presentation and behavior in these environments. Results indicate that, for the majority of participants, the appearance of their avatars significantly affected their willingness to interact with others, and well-designed avatars were perceived as indicators of experience and success in the digital world. Additionally, it was found that male users were more willing to engage through their avatars, whereas female users tended to avoid such interactions unless approached first. In relation to these findings, it was observed that avatars have the potential to reinforce stereotypes. The study’s unique contribution lies in its interdisciplinary approach to digital identity studies, bringing together similarities and differences in avatar usage across various digital contexts, such as digital games and social media, as well as in its user experience–based perspective, which distinguishes it from predominantly quantitative studies.

Özet

Dijital çağda avatarlar, çevrim içi ortamlarda benlik sunumunun (self-presentation) baskın bir aracı hâline gelmiş ve bireylerin kendilerini nasıl sunduklarını, başkalarıyla nasıl etkileşime girdiklerini etkilemiştir. Bu çalışma, dijital ortamlarda kullanılan avatar özelliklerinin kullanıcıların davranışlarını, tutumlarını ve benlik algılarını önemli ölçüde etkileyebileceğini öne süren Proteus Etkisi’ni ele alarak avatarların çevrimiçi benlik sunumundaki rolünü araştırmakta, dijital kimliklerin nasıl inşa edildiğini ve avatar bedenlenmesinin bireyler tarafından nasıl algılandığını ortaya çıkarmayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmada nitel araştırma yöntemi kullanılarak sanal dünyalarda sıkça avatar kullanan sekiz katılımcıyla yarı yapılandırılmış yüz yüze görüşmeler yapılmış, avatarların, kullanıcıların benlik sunumunu ve bu ortamlardaki davranışlarını ne ölçüde etkilediğini gösteren bulgulara erişilmiştir. Çalışmanın bulgularına göre kullanıcıların dijital dünyada tercih ettikleri avatarları ve bu avatarların görünümleri karşı tarafın kendisi ile iletişim kurmalarında belirleyici olabilmekte; onların sosyal kimliklerini ve benlik algılarını şekillendirebilmektir. Aynı zamanda karşı tarafın avatarının görünümüne verdiği özen dijital dünyada deneyim ve başarı göstergesi olarak yorumlanabilmektedir. Ayrıca, erkek kullanıcıların avatarları aracılığı ile etkileşime girme konusunda daha istekli oldukları, kadın kullanıcıların ise önce kendilerine yaklaşılmadığı sürece bu davranışta bulunmaktan kaçındıkları tespit edilmiştir. Bu bulguyla ilişkili olarak, avatarların stereotipleri pekiştirme potansiyeli olduğu gözlenmiştir. Çalışmanın özgün yönü, dijital oyunlar ve sosyal medya gibi farklı dijital bağlamlarda avatar kullanımının benzer ve ayrışan yönlerini birlikte ele alarak dijital kimlik çalışmalarına disiplinler arası bir katkı sunması ve nicel olarak desenlenmiş çalışmalardan farklı olarak kullanıcı deneyimine dayanmasıdır.

🔖

Cite This Article

Kobak, K., Uluçay, D. M., Ergen, D. Ö. (2026). Self-Presentation Through Avatars: The Role of the Proteus Effect in Online Communication. Anadolu Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, Cilt: 26 Sayı: 2, 590–610. https://doi.org/10.18037/ausbd.1744212

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (48)

  1. Abelson, H., & Lessig, L. (1998). Digital identity in cyberspace. Law of Cyberspace: Social Protocols. https://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.805/student-papers/fall98-papers/identity/white-paper.html adresinden alındı
  2. Ash, E. (2016). Priming or proteus effect? Examining the effects of avatar race on in-game behavior and post-play aggressive cognition and affect in video games. Games and Culture, 11(4), 422-440. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412014568870
  3. Bailenson, J. N., Blascovich, J., & Guadagno, R. E. (2008). Self-representations in immersive virtual environments. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 38(11), 2673–2690. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2008.00409.x
  4. Bailenson, J., Patel, K., Nielsen, A., Bajscy, R., Jung, S. H., & Kurillo, G. (2008). The effect of interactivity on learning physical actions in virtual reality. Media Psychology, 11(3), 354-376. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213260802285214
  5. Baltacı, A. (2018). Nitel araştırmalarda örnekleme yöntemleri ve örnek hacmi sorunsalı üzerine kavramsal bir inceleme. BEÜ SBE Dergisi,7(1), 231-274.
  6. Bem, D. (1972). Self perception theory. Bertram Gawronski (ed.) Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (ss. 2-62). New York: Academic Press.
  7. Binark, M., & Bayraktutan, G. (2009). Devasa çevrimiçi oyunlarda Türklüğün oynanması: silkroad online’da sanal cemaat inşası ve Türk klan kimliği. Mutlu Binark (ed.) Dijital Oyun Rehberi, Oyun Tasarımı, Türler ve Oyuncu. İstanbul: Kalkedon Yayınları.
  8. Blascovich, J., & Bailenson, J. (2011). Infinite reality: The hidden blueprint of our virtual lives. Harper Collins.
  9. Bromley, D. (1993). Reputation, image and impression management. Jonh Wiley and Sons.
  10. Budka, P. ve Kremser, M. (2004). CyberAnthropology- anthropology of cyberculture. Barbara Plankensteiner, Stefan Khittel, Maria Six-Hohenbalken (eds.), Contemporary issues in socio-cultural anthropology: Perspectives and research activities from Austria (ss. 213-226). Austria: Löcker Verlag.
  11. Cha, P., Li, F., & Peck, T. C. (2025). The impact of avatar clothing on the Proteus effect and stereotype threat. Proceedings of the 2025 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR) 296–306. IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/VR59515.2025.00054
  12. Clark, O. J. (2020). How to kill a Greek god- a review, critique, and meta-analysis of 14 years of Proteus effect research. Technical report.
  13. Coesel, A. M., Biancardi, B., & Buisine, S. (2024). A theoretical review of the Proteus effect: understanding the underlying processes. Media Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1379599
  14. Çapar, M. C., & Ceylan, M. (2022). Durum çalışması ve olgubilim desenlerinin karşılaştırılması. Ankara Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 22(Özel Sayı 2), 295–312. https://doi.org/10.18037/ausbd.1227359
  15. Escobar, A., Hess, D., Licha, I., Sibley, W., Strathern, I., & Sutz, J. (1994). Welcome to Cyberia: Notes on the Anthropology of Cyberculture. Current Antropology, 35(3), 211-231. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2744194
  16. Goffman, E. (1955). On Face-Work: An analysis of ritual elements in social interaction. Psychiatry, 18(3), 213-231. doi: 10.1080/00332747.1955.11023008
  17. Goffman, E. (2009). Günlük yaşamda benliğin sunumu. İstanbul: Metis Yayınları.
  18. Kavut, S. (2020). Kimliğin dönüşümü: Dijital kimlikler. Selçuk İletişim Dergisi, 13(2), 987-1008. https://doi.org/10.18094/josc.691445
  19. Kocur, M., Kloss, M., Schaufler, C., Schwind, V., & Henze, N. (2025). Investigating the impact of customized avatars and the Proteus effect during physical exercise in virtual reality. Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 1–18. ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713203
  20. Koda, T., & Oguri, R. (2019). Analysis of the effects of appearances of avatars on user's self-evaluation of extroversion. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence 1, 232-237. Prague: ICAART
  21. Latifi, M. Q., Poulus, D., Richards, M., Yap, Y., & Stavropoulos, V. (2025). Predicting Proteus effect via the user–avatar bond: A longitudinal study using machine learning. Behaviour & Information Technology, 44(8), 1595–1611. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2024.2363974
  22. Liu, Y. (2023). The proteus effect: Overview, reflection, and recommendations. Games and Culture, 0. https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120231202175
  23. Loon, A., Bailenson, J., Zaki, J., Bostick, J., & Willer, R. (2018). Virtual reality perspective-taking increases cognitive empathy for specific others. PLOS ONE, 13(8), e0202442. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.02024424
  24. Mal, D., Wolf, E., Dilinger, N., Wienrich, C., & Latoschick, C. H. (2023). The impact of avatar and environment congruence on plausibility, embodiment, presence, and the proteus effect in virtual reality. IEEE Transactions on Visualization, 29, 2358–2368. doi: 10.1109/TVCG.2023.3247089
  25. Mayra, F. (2008). Getting into the game: Doing multidisciplinary game studies. In M. J. Bernard Perron, The Video Game Theory Reader 2. New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203887660
  26. Nielsen, D. (2015). Identity performance in roleplaying games. Computer and Composition, 38(A), 45-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2015.09.003
  27. Oh, S. Y., Bailenson, J., Weisz, E., & Zaki, J. (2016). Virtually old: embodied perspective taking and the reduction of ageism under threat. Computing Human Behavior, 60, 398-410. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.007
  28. Özyurda-Ergen, D. (2022). Erkek video oyuncularının toplumsal cinsiyet algısı. (Yüksek Lisans Tezi). Ankara Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü.
  29. Paker, O. (2011). Siberuzamda iletişim. İletişim Günleri 6, Bildiriler Kitabı. İzmir: İzmir Elektrik Elektronik Mühendisleri Odası.
  30. Peck, T. C., Seinfeld, S., Aglioti, S. M., & Slater, M. (2013). Putting yourself in the skin of a black avatar reduces implicit racial bias. Conscious Cognitive, 22, 779-787. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2013.04.016
  31. Pena, J., Hancock, J., & Merola, N. (2009). The priming effects of avatars in virtual settings. Communication Research, 36(6), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650209346802
  32. Pena, J., Khan, S., & Alexopoulos, C. (2016). I am what I see: Howavatar and opponent agent body size affects physical activity among men playing exergames. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 21(3), 195-209. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12151
  33. Ratan, R. A., & Dawson, M. (2016). When Mii Is Me: A Psychophysiological Examination of Avatar Self-Relevance. Communication Research, 43(8), 1065-1093. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650215570652
  34. Szolin, K., Kuss, D. J., Nuyens, F. M., & Griffiths, M. J. (2023). Exploring the user-avatar relationship in videogames: A systematic review of the Proteus effect. Human-Computer Interaction, 38(5-6), 374-399. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370024.2022.2103419
  35. Szolin, K., Kuss, D. J., Nuyens, F. M., & Griffiths, M. J. (2025). The Proteus effect in Fallout: New Vegas: Investigating gender-conforming behaviours in videogames. Entertainment Computing, 52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2024.100765
  36. Şişman Uğur, S., & Kurubacak Çakır, G. (2019). Artificial intelligence to super artificial intelligence, cyber culture to transhumanist culture. Gülsün Kurubacak Çakır & Serap Şişman Uğur (Eds.), Advances in educational technologies and instructional design. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-8431-5.ch001
  37. Taylor, T. L. (2002). Living Digitally: Embodiment in Virtual Worlds. Ralph Schroeder (ed.), The Social Life of Avatars. Computer Supported Cooperative Work (ss. 40-62). London: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0277-9_3
  38. Thaler, A., Geuss, M. N., Mölbert, S. C., Giel, K. E., Streuber, S., Romero, J., & Mohler, B. (2018). Body size estimation of self and others in females varying in BMI. Plos One, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192152
  39. Tönnies, F. (1957). Community & Society (Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft). New York: Dover Publications Inc.
  40. Turkle, S. (1999). Cyberspace and Identity. Contemporary Sociology, 28(6), 643-648. https://doi.org/10.2307/2655534
  41. Walther, J. B. (2011). Theories of computer-mediated communication and interpersonal relations. Mark L. Knapp, John A. Daly (eds.) The handbook of interpersonal communication, (ss. 443-479). North America: SAGE.
  42. Yee, N., & Bailenson, J. Y. (2007). The Proteus Effect: The Effect of Transformed Self-Representation on Behavior. Human Communication Research, 33(3), 271-290. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2007.00299.x
  43. Yee, N., Bailenson, J. Y., & Ducheneaut, N. (2009). The proteus effect: Implications of transformed digital self-representation on online and offline behavior. Communication Research, 36(2), 285-312. doi:10.1177/0093650208330254
  44. Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2005). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri (5. baskı). Seçkin Yayıncılık.
  45. Zimmermann, D., Wehler, A., & Kaspar, K. (2023). Self-representation through avatars in digital environments. Current Psychology, 42(25), 21775-21789. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03232-6
  46. Oh, S. Y., Bailenson, J., Weisz, E., & Zaki, J. (2016). Virtually old: embodied perspective taking and the reduction of ageism under threat. Computing Human Behavior, 60, 398-410. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.007
  47. Szolin, K., Kuss, D. J., Nuyens, F. M., & Griffiths, M. J. (2023). Exploring the user-avatar relationship in videogames: A systematic review of the Proteus effect. Human-Computer Interaction, 38(5-6), 374-399. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370024.2022.2103419
  48. Thaler, A., Geuss, M. N., Mölbert, S. C., Giel, K. E., Streuber, S., Romero, J., & Mohler, B. (2018). Body size estimation of self and others in females varying in BMI. Plos One, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192152