Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication in Second Life

Abstract

In the last few years several studies concerning the advantages and potentialities of using Second Life in education came to spotlight. To identify which type of communication is most common among avatars and to understand if there is any similarity with communication in real life a case study was developed in order to analyse both verbal and non-verbal communication among master degree students. This chapter will explain how this study was conducted, as well as the results and the conclusions drawn from it. After the data analysis we concluded that avatars rarely use kinesic communication - although there is, in Second Life, an inventory full of gestures - using instead verbal communication. In fact, it was very clear that individuals use written code to express their emotions, thus increasing the number of participations. Non-verbal communication had a small role in interaction, proxemics was influenced by space and finally appearance didn’t reveal the true personality of the user.