Health literacy practices of adults in an avatar-based immersive social virtual world: A sociocultural perspective of new media health literacies

Abstract

The continued development of avatar-based immersive technology such as 3D social virtual worlds (VWs), games and virtual reality – that can be used to provide ‘places’ where communities can create and socially interact with health information through simulation, games, peer support groups and with healthcare practitioners via the virtual self – require a new perspective on new media health literacy. This chapter discusses how new media children and adolescents’ social skills and cultural competencies were reflected and adapted in the context of adults and health, through findings from a qualitative interview based study carried out in a 3D social VW with 25 adults aged 18-70 across 10 countries. The study was carried out during September 2011 to June 2012. 3D social VWs are online multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) that people can globally access using an avatar as the virtual self. Avatars can be modified to represent humanoid, fantastical, animal or anthropomorphic beings. The avatar can also be animated to show facial expressions or movements to enhance non-verbal communication and can ‘chat’ to, and interact with, other avatars, the environment and objects in the VW. Communication with other avatars is initiated via either private instant messaging (IM) or with other avatars near them (not private, but can only be seen/accessed by avatars in close proximity to each other), or collectively across a group of users of the VW (not private, seen/accessed by all avatars in the group), using text or voice (Wagner, 2008). However, importantly the avatar in these worlds is driven by a human, and not artificial intelligence.