Embodied Social Presence Theory

We discuss and reflect on the importance of embodiment, context, and spatial proximity as they pertain to the sense of presence obtained by individuals in virtual environments. We propose Embodied Social Presence (ESP) Theory, a theoretical framework that focuses on the embodied virtual representation (i.e., the avatar) as the nexus of activity in social interaction within virtual worlds. We review the literature on place and space, presence and embodiment and draw on theories of embodiment, feminism, and Activity Theory to frame our model. We propose that a social actor in a virtual environment derives meaning during interactions with his or her environment through actions, context, and tools and that the virtual body is a tool for mediating communication. “In Second Life you get the 'being there ' feeling, but the ability to see the other avatars makes you feel as though you are even closer than just being there. This closeness resulted in a more relaxed conversation among the group probably because of the feeling as though we were all in the same room. " (Subject’s comment on the use of Second Life