Digital joint action: Avatar-mediated social interaction in digital spaces

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Joint action in physical spaces involves shared goals, action prediction, and coordination mechanisms.
• Online interactions are increasingly mediated by digital avatars, introducing unique characteristics to collaborative activities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a framework for characterizing digital joint action.
• To identify commonalities and differences between physical and digital joint action.
• To empirically validate the proposed framework using a survey study.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual framework development for digital joint action.
• Comparative analysis of real-world and digital joint action.
• Survey study with users of Final Fantasy XIV (MMORPG).

Main Results:

• Digital joint action shares core elements with physical joint action, including goals and coordination processes.
• Avatars in digital environments introduce unique embodied characteristics and personas.
• The framework provides a basis for understanding cognitive principles of joint action beyond physical limitations.

Conclusions:

• Digital joint action offers a novel research avenue for embodied cognition outside physical constraints.
• The proposed framework is empirically supported by user data from an MMORPG.
• This research advances the understanding of collaboration in virtual environments.