An Avatar's worth in the metaverse workplace: Assessing predictors of avatar customization valuation

Virtual economies with 3D assets have been studied for decades, often in the context of entertainment, but the concept of the metaverse as a workplace platform has only recently begun to take hold. This research addresses a gap in our understanding of how the enhanced ability for impression management in the metaverse workplace may relate to worker well-being and equity. We explore how demographics and previous virtual meeting (VM) experiences relate to people's valuation of self-presentation in the metaverse, reflected by willingness to pay for avatar customizations in a work context. Survey responses from a general population of adults (n = 553) suggest that the valuation of avatar customization in the metaverse workplace was predicted by VM fatigue, gamers' propensity to purchase virtual items, and demographics. People of color and women exhibited higher intentions to purchase avatar customization in the metaverse workplace. These results support the reasoning that the demand for impression management in the metaverse workplace will likely motivate avatar customization, and that gamers are likely to be the early adopters of paid avatar customization options in the non-game metaverse. This study contributes to an understanding of the role avatar customization has for a self-presentation strategy to meet norms in the future metaverse workplace. We discuss implications of VM fatigue and self-presentation concerns from the perspective of an equitable avatar-mediated workplace.