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Symbolic and Experiential Consumption of Body in Virtual Worlds

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  • Handan Vicdan

    (EM - EMLyon Business School)

  • Ebru Ulusoy

Abstract

This study examines the symbolic meanings of the body concept in a virtual world called Second Life (SL). Using audio-visual approach to netnography, we investigate the ways in which consumers are involved in SL, the meanings attached to their avatars, the process of (re)constructing their avatars, and the experiences lived through their avatars. In light of our findings, we draw attention to the conceptualization of body as experience, which brings the enhancement in the perception of body as a means of self-presentation to experiencing the body for the sake of the body. Furthermore, we introduce the concept of symembodiment as a means of articulating the presence of body in SL and reemphasizing the non-resolvable embodiment/disembodiment paradox of the body in the virtual world.

Suggested Citation

  • Handan Vicdan & Ebru Ulusoy, 2008. "Symbolic and Experiential Consumption of Body in Virtual Worlds," Post-Print hal-01892899, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01892899
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-01892899
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    1. Schouten, John W, 1991. "Selves in Transition: Symbolic Consumption in Personal Rites of Passage and Identity Reconstruction," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 17(4), pages 412-425, March.
    2. Thompson, Craig J & Hirschman, Elizabeth C, 1995. "Understanding the Socialized Body: A Poststructuralist Analysis of Consumers' Self-Conceptions, Body Images, and Self-Care Practices," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 22(2), pages 139-153, September.
    3. Rook, Dennis W, 1985. "The Ritual Dimension of Consumer Behavior," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 12(3), pages 251-264, December.
    4. Edward Castronova, 2004. "The Price of Bodies: A Hedonic Pricing Model of Avatar Attributes in a Synthetic World," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(2), pages 173-196, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sarah Hudson & Sheila Matson-Barkat & Nico Pallamin & Guillaume Jégou, 2019. "With or without you? Interaction and immersion in a virtual reality experience," Post-Print hal-02159315, HAL.

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