Avatar-mediated communication (AMC), commonly used in online environments such as games and the emerging metaverse, is different from traditional computer-mediated communication in that it is a human-object-object-human relationship mediated by the individual's avatar and the avatar of the...

Millions of people are spending time and money on virtual goods: clothes for their characters in online hangouts, weapons for their fighters in massively-multiplayer games, and presents for their friends in social networking platforms. In this dissertation, I locate virtual goods as the latest...

Purpose Virtual goods consumption has risen dramatically in recent years. Recognizing the benefits of virtual goods in generating revenue for online game companies, marketers strive to understand the motives behind virtual goods purchases. We investigated the direct and indirect effects of...