The creation and expression of identity (or of multiple identities) in immersive computer-mediated environments (CMEs) is rapidly transforming consumer behavior. The various social networking and gaming sites have millions of registered users worldwide, and major corporations are beginning to attempt to reach and entice the growing flood of consumers occupying these virtual worlds. Despite this huge potential, however, experts know very little about the best way to talk to consumers in these online environments. How will well-established research findings from the offline world transfer to CMEs? That's where "Virtual Social Identity and Consumer Behavior" comes in. Written by two of the leading experts in the field, it presents cutting-edge academic research on virtual social identity, explores consumer behavior in virtual worlds, and offers important implications for marketers interested in working in these environments. The book provides special insight into the largest and fastest growing group of users - kids and teens. There is no better source for understanding the impact of virtual social identities on consumers, consumer behavior, and electronic commerce.

Introduction: Virtual Social Identity, Michael R. Solomon, Natalie T. Wood; Part 1 The Virtual Experience; Chapter 1 I, Avatar, Robert V. Kozinets, Richard Kedzior; Chapter 2 For a Better Exploration of Metaverses as Consumer Experiences, Leila El Kamel; Part 2 Consumer Behavior in Virtual Worlds; Chapter 3 Interaction Seeking in Second Life and Implications for Consumer Behavior, Christian Hinsch, Peter H. Bloch; Chapter 4 I Don't Know You, But I Trust You, James E. Brown, Tracy L. Tuten; Chapter 5 Social Interaction with Virtual Beings, Kathy Keeling, Debbie Keeling, Antonella de Angeli, Peter McGoldrick; Chapter 6 Personalized Avatar, David Crete, Anik St-Onge, Aurelie Merle, Nicolas Arsenault, Jacques Nantel; Chapter 7 The Sacred and the Profane in Online Gaming, Jeff Wang, Xin Zhao, Gary J. Bamossy; Part 3 Avatar Creation and Appearance; Chapter 8 Finding Mii, J. Alison Bryant, Anna Akerman; Chapter 9 Me, Myself, and My Avatar, Youjeong Kim, S. Shyam Sundar; Part 4 Person Perceptions in Virtual Worlds; Chapter 10 Effects of Ethnic Identity and Ethnic Ambiguous Agents on Consumer Response to Websites, Osei Appiah, Troy Elias; Chapter 11 Ethnic Matching, Yuliya Lutchyn, Brittany R.L. Duff, Ronald J. Faber, Soyoen Cho, Jisu Huh; Chapter 12 Mirror, Mirror on the Web, Melissa G. Bublitz, Craig C. Claybaugh, Laura A. Peracchio;