PhD researcher wanting to interview residents about in-world shopping habits

[GuliaMCR]

Hi everyone! My name is Gulia and I am a phd researcher doing my research about virtual consumption on Metaverse and what product and virtual world characteristics impact the purchasing intention. I would highly appreciate if you could help me with my research and do the survey if you are older than 18 and if you have ever purchased virtual objects for your avatar. Thanks in advance!

https://bocconi.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4OubEtxYtu3J0Ng

Edited December 2, 2022 by GuliaMCR
design

[Robberinthemuseum]

For all the same reasons you buy unnecessary items that give you joy ^^. There really is no difference. Also, I have a bottomless inventory. 

Edit: no time to do the survey ㅠㅠ

Edited December 2, 2022 by Robberinthemuseum

[GuliaMCR]

Actually, in my research I try to study which metaverse platform chracteristics and which product characteristics make you purchase virtual items. Also, virtual items are important not only for fun, but also for expressing yourself in the platform community. Will highly appreciate if you could fill out the questionnaire.

Thanks!

Gulia

[Whirly Fizzle]

The question 6 options are not very clear.
Q6. Please, evaluate your network size on the Metaverse platforms you have used.

It's not clear if "friends" mean real-life friends or friends on the Metaverse platform
It's not clear what you mean by "peers" and "people in your environment"

[Coffee Pancake]

Yet another survey where the person doing the research has almost zero experience with the subject matter (yes, I did complete it) and zero time or investment in the target community.

We buy virtual items DAILY. Sometimes HOURLY.

The amount of stuff that is purchased, used a couple of times and then forgotten is considerable.

You could log into SL, spend a week here socially with a friend and end up with far more insight and understanding than your questionnaire will ever show you. That time would enable you to formulate a meaningful survey.

 

But sure .. be the thousandth to roll a new account, post a poorly written and researched quiz and then extrapolate enough meaningless correlation to write a paper. I'm sure your contribution to the mountain of existing equally out of touch academic scribblings will eventually contribute to another box ticking students meta study.

 

[Robberinthemuseum]

1 hour ago, GuliaMCR said:

Actually, in my research I try to study which metaverse platform chracteristics and which product characteristics make you purchase virtual items. Also, virtual items are important not only for fun, but also for expressing yourself in the platform community. Will highly appreciate if you could fill out the questionnaire.

Thanks!

Gulia

That's what I meant. Really the same reason as rl and not so much other virtual worlds. Basically if you can understand why anyone buys stuff, that's why they buy it in sl too. It's not a game with levels. For most people it's a creative outlet for landscaping, art installations, fashion that fits and decorating. Just that. ^^

Edited December 2, 2022 by Robberinthemuseum

[GuliaMCR]

@Coffee Pancakethank you for your contribution, i highly appreciate it. Yes, I am new to this community as well as to other Metaverse communities and this topic is new to me. However, I am trying to learn step by step and hope people will share their experiences and help me.

Thanks again for your time.

Have a nice weekend.

Gulia

[Nick0678]

5 hours ago, GuliaMCR said:

..and if you have ever purchased virtual objects for your avatar.

Hmmm..

That's like going to a pet shop and asking the customers "i see you have a dog, did you ever buy dog food for it?"

99.999% the answer is yes even if it was dirt cheap kibble.

[GuliaMCR]

@Robberinthemuseum, yes, you are completely right. However, many people (who do not use social virtual worlds) do not understand why people buy virtual items, that do not bring any functional value. In my research I will try to demostrate that people purchase virtual goods to obtain social and emotional value, just like goods in real life. Anyways, thanks a lot for your contribution to this topic! Have a nice weekend!

[GuliaMCR]

@Nick0678, thanks for your contribution. I distribute this survey through different platforms and not everyone on those platforms purchase the virtual goods.

Thanks again.

Sincerely,

Gulia

[Gabriele Graves]

Is it really that hard for people to understand?  These items can be used for entertainment and paying for them isn't really any different than paying for a netflix subscription.  What functional value other than entertainment does a netflix subscription give you?

Edited December 2, 2022 by Gabriele Graves

[GuliaMCR]

@Whirly Fizzle, thanks for your comment. I will clarify it.

Thank you very much for your contribution and have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Gulia

[Nick0678]

17 minutes ago, GuliaMCR said:

@RobberinthemuseumHowever, many people (who do not use social virtual worlds) do not understand why people buy virtual items, that do not bring any functional value.

It's just capitalism, you got money you just buy whatever due to boredom, if you are totally broke you buy nothing.

[GuliaMCR]

@Robberinthemuseum, yes partially yes. However, you still buy items that fit your personality and help you express yourself, right?

[Lindal Kidd]

24 minutes ago, GuliaMCR said:

@Robberinthemuseum, yes partially yes. However, you still buy items that fit your personality and help you express yourself, right?

See Maslow's hierarchy of needs to know why anybody buys anything.

In virtual worlds, physiological needs don't apply*. But every other level of the pyramid does. For example:

Safety - security systems for your virtual home; inventory sorting and retrieval systems

Love/Belonging - virtual homes, virtual dance clubs (and clothing to look good there), gifts for friends/lovers, sexual roleplay animated furniture and devices

Esteem - mesh avatar components, makeup, clothing, jewelry, shoes, animations, larger houses, expensive/detailed virtual vehicles

Self-actualization - textures, tools for creation (e.g. Avastar, Marvelous Designer, dev kits from mesh body sellers), or on a lower level, pre-made houses, furniture, landscaping and decorative items to create a pleasing personal environment and earn the praise of others. Stores and vendor systems to sell one's creations.

This is all a longer version of what Robber said: people buy stuff in virtual worlds for the same reasons they buy stuff in the real world.

*Physiological needs don't apply in SL, but they may in other virtual worlds where one must buy "food" in order to keep one's avatar alive. Not truly physiological, though, because if your avatar "dies" in that world, you yourself are not physically harmed.

I expect to receive co-author credit on your paper.

[Lindal Kidd]

Shame on you, @PheebyKatz! Don't encourage multiple posts in the forums.

@GuliaMCR: stick to one forum, PLEASE.

[PheebyKatz]

Just now, Lindal Kidd said:

Shame on you, @PheebyKatz! Don't encourage multiple posts in the forums.

@GuliaMCR: stick to one forum, PLEASE.

But, but miz Lindal, I was only joking! They're in college and stuff, they're not THAT stupid are they?

I mean, they're smart enough to outsource all of the work on something people are paying thousands upon thousands of currency units for them to "earn", right? Surely they must know that the Russian forum is not really where they should post, right? Anyone smart enough to be lazy about their education for life has to be smart enough to know I was joking!

<-<;

>->;

^-^;

[Love Zhaoying]

5 minutes ago, Lindal Kidd said:

Shame on you, @PheebyKatz! Don't encourage multiple posts in the forums.

@GuliaMCR: stick to one forum, PLEASE.

How do we know the request isn't research for SL's competition?

[Alwin Alcott]

6 hours ago, GuliaMCR said:

I would highly appreciate if you could help me

do we have to reply to all the posts or will one do?

[PheebyKatz]

Just now, Love Zhaoying said:

How do we know the request isn't research for SL's competition?

They said it was for a PHD. That stands for "Pretty Hard to Do", and is an academic term used by people who go to school.

As we all know, people who go to school are honest, so it couldn't be that.

[Rowan Amore]

52 minutes ago, GuliaMCR said:

you still buy items that fit your personality and help you express yourself

That's your answer right there to most of your questions.  We buy what we like.  

[GuliaMCR]

@Lindal Kiddexactly! According to many academic theories, all items that we purchase bring us functional, emotional, or social value. Just as you mentioned, functional value is less relevant for virtual worlds (however, sometimes people buys NFTs for investment purposes), but emotional and social value are super important. What is interesting, what is more important-emotional or social attributes of the virtual products? Thanks for contribution!

[Maitimo]

6 hours ago, GuliaMCR said:

Hi everyone! My name is Gulia and I am a phd researcher doing my research about virtual consumption on Metaverse and what product and virtual world characteristics impact the purchasing intention. I would highly appreciate if you could help me with my research and do the survey if you are older than 18 and if you have ever purchased virtual objects for your avatar. Thanks in advance!

https://bocconi.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4OubEtxYtu3J0Ng

You know that Second Life is an entirely different thing from Metaverse, don't you?

[Love Zhaoying]

12 minutes ago, PheebyKatz said:

They said it was for a PHD. That stands for "Pretty Hard to Do", and is an academic term used by people who go to school.

As we all know, people who go to school are honest, so it couldn't be that.

Well, I was taught not to click on links that I don't trust.  So, there!

[GuliaMCR]

@Love ZhaoyingI do not ask any mystery shopping questions:) Also, the survey link belongs to Bocconi Univeristy:) @PheebyKatz thanks for support:)