Digital Mirrors: Avatar Customization, Identity Expression, and Virtual Fashion Branding Among Children and Teenagers in Pakistan

Abstract

Younger generations increasingly interact with virtual spaces where they can express and experiment with identities through their customizable avatars. With growing usage of virtual spaces, fashion and lifestyle companies have started using avatar based marketing to reach a younger audience and raise the question of how young users perceive virtual fashion and how perceptions of virtual fashion correlate with their emerging real-world fashion interests. Previous studies demonstrate that an individual's perception of themselves (the Proteus Effect) and/or an individual's identity can be inferred from an individual's own actions (self-perception theory), but there is limited knowledge regarding how these processes apply to younger users and how they connect with cultural identity and social influence. To fill this void, we conducted qualitative interviews with 12 dyad groups consisting of parents and their children (children aged 5-18 years) to identify how young users describe relationships between customizing their avatars, expressing themselves, and branding across both virtual and physical environments. Instead of hypothesizing causal links between avatar appearance, identity expression, cultural representation, and social influence, our study focuses on how participants interpreted their experiences. Our findings show that younger children were influenced by their avatars' clothing and accessory items while teenagers expressed similarities between their avatars and real world aesthetics. Both sets of parents also reported cases of children's virtual fashion preferences influencing household discussions regarding fashion and purchasing. Based on these findings, we developed a conceptual framework illustrating how avatar appearance, identity expression, cultural representation, and social dynamics interconnect in order to create a perceived interest in real-world fashion among younger users of virtual platforms. This research makes contributions to child-computer interactions, digital fashion, and consumer psychology by demonstrating how virtual identity expressions may influence the fashion exploration and brand awareness of young users. We conclude with a discussion of design considerations for creating inclusive avatar customization systems and marketing campaigns by fashion and lifestyle companies targeting youth in a way that is culturally relevant and appropriate for their developmental stage.