Peter Nagy, Ph.D.

The rise of virtual influencers (VIs) in digital marketing channels, such as social media platforms and the metaverse, raises critical, under-researched questions about blame attribution to these digital entities and its subsequent impact on brand trust. Our research addresses this gap by applying the theoretical lens of mind perception to two studies using an experimental causal chain design approach. Study 1 revealed that consumers attribute higher mind perception to a human VI and consequently place more blame on them in negative scenarios compared to AI-powered VI. Additionally, we found that perceived mind perception was unaffected by the digital channel (social media versus metaverse). Study 2 demonstrated that brand trust diminishes more significantly when an AI-powered VI is blamed compared to a human VI. These insights contribute to understanding the psychological mechanism of blame judgement towards VIs, and highlight the importance for brands to consider the repercussions of using AI-powered VI.

Ranging from purchasing single digital items through bundles to packages that contain several digital objects under one umbrella, microtransactions represent an increasingly popular and yet controversial business model within many video games. A particularly interesting segment of digital content captures those purely cosmetic and esthetically oriented goods that do not provide users with concrete mechanical or technical benefits but are nonetheless valued and pursued by members of the gaming community. Building on in-depth interviews with a group of 20 active video game players residing in France, the present study explores variations in gaming styles and preferences, motivations to engage in cosmetic microtransactions, and perceived benefits associated with the consumption of cosmetic items in video games. We identified various key video game player motivations to engage in cosmetic microtransactions, including personal and achievement goals, social and belonging needs, prestige seeking and status signaling, and the pursuit of novelty. In contrast to the idea that cosmetic items do not hold value above and beyond their hedonic or esthetic appeal, our findings also indicate that even cosmetic items can offer perceived competitive advantages and benefits (e.g., becoming thinner, gaining latency time, or becoming less visible via acquiring certain digital clothes or armors in the game). Through these emergent themes and categories, we construct six video game player personas representing various needs, perceptions, and expectations concerning the valuation of cosmetic microtransactions. Last, we discuss how these findings can inform theory development and guide decision-making around game design.

In this paper, we present findings from an exploratory qualitative study that investigated perceptions of science and scientists, which can shape how learners participate in narrative-based socioscientific digital media and hands-on activities. We examine how middle school learners conceptualize science and scientists’ roles through their possible selves and the way in which they express their interests. We present findings of interviews with middle school students who took part in digital media and hands-on science activities in a school science classroom. Our findings show that while there are variations in the ways that students perceive science and scientists, many students in our study are influenced by formal learning environments (e.g., school), and some students have difficulty making connections between informal and formal science activities. By examining learners’ heterogeneous perceptions of science and scientists, we identified students’ perceptions of the qualities of scientists, science responsibility, and science in daily life, along with ideas inspired by the activities we presented. In our discussion, we consider how the constructs of possible self and interest in science can enable students to engage in science and to think about science and scientists in more expansive ways. Lessons from this study can support middle school students in developing a positive scientist possible self and increase their interest in science.

In this chapter, we present theories and research findings from communication, media and design studies that have stemmed from James Gibson’s highly influential affordance theory originating from the late 1970s. We do so from the lens of human-machine communication to determine how the field can benefit from the use of Gibson’s work. Long before the concept of affordance was adopted in communication, media and design studies, it was part of a provocative framework that challenged how psychologists conceptualized the relationship between perception and action. Taking a historical, cultural and critical approach, we describe what human-machine communication researchers can learn from affordance theory. When it comes to human-machine communication, we argue that scholars could use affordances to capture how users and designers “imagine” the potential uses of interactive technologies. In order to study affordances, the field could approach the notion that emerges between users’ perceptions, attitudes, and expectations; between the materiality and functionality of technologies; and between the intentions and perceptions of designers. We close the chapter by formulating suggestions for researchers wishing to explore what affordance theory means and how it can be used for the field of human-machine communication.