Welcome to the Self-Presence information website The media landscape: Mediated self-representations can take many forms (from anthropomorphic to pointer-shaped), be represented in many manners (from 3-D virtual reality to flash animations), and be controlled by many means (from electrodes in a cap to a mouse and keyboard). The state of research: While there is a growing body of research that examines the implications of relationships between users and their avatars, there is currently no standardized theory or concept that describes how such relationships operate across these varied types of mediated self-representations. The contribution of self-presence: The concept of self-presence has the potential to fulfill this need, providing a tool that can help explain how the many facets of mediated self-representations affect the ways that users connect to or are extended into such self-representations. The goal for future application: Ultimately, an understanding of self-presence has the potential to facilitate a better understanding of the ways that using mediated self-representations can contribute to various positive outcomes, such as learning, social behavior, and healthy living. To learn more about self-presence, please click on the pictures below or links in the sidebar.   This site is currently maintained by Robby Ratan, a Communication PhD student who is studying the concept of self-presence for his dissertation. |
