Title Page
Abstract
Contents
Chapter 1. Introduction 11
1. Necessity and significance of research 11
2. Purpose of research 16
Chapter 2. Literature review 19
1. Metaverse and avatar 20
1.1. What is Metaverse? 20
1.2. What is avatar? 27
1.3. Dressing avatar 33
1.4. Metaverse in China 35
2. Avatar identification in the Metaverse 43
2.1. Enclothed cognition 43
2.2. Identification with Avatars 47
2.3. Enclothed avatar identification in the Metaverse 50
3. Identity augmentation in the Metaverse 56
3.1. Self-extension in the Metaverse 57
3.2. Self-expansion in the Metaverse 60
4. Purchase intention of virtual and physical products 64
4.1. Purchase intention of virtual products 64
4.2. Purchase intention of physical products 66
5. Self-concept clarity 68
Chapter 3. Conceptual model and hypothesis development 70
1. Research model 71
2. Research hypotheses 76
Chapter 4. Research method 100
1. Operational definition of variables 100
(1) Enclothed avatar actual identification 100
(2) Enclothed avatar wishful identification 100
(3) Self-extension 101
(4) Self-expansion 102
(5) Purchase intention of virtual products 102
(6) Purchase intention of physical products 103
(7) Self-concept clarity 103
2. Structure and procedure of the study 104
3. Instrument development 110
(1) Consumer enclothed avatar identification 111
(2) Identity augmentation 113
(3) Self-concept clarity 115
(4) Purchase intention 117
(5) Demographic characteristics 120
4. Analysis method 120
Chapter 5. Results 121
1. Demographic characteristics 124
2. Measurement validity and reliability 128
3. Hypothesis test 134
Chapter 6. Conclusion 144
1. Summary and discussion 144
2. Research implications 153
(1) Academic implications 155
(2) Practical implications 158
3. Limitations and future research 162
References 166
Appendices 206
[Appendix 1] Confirmation from Seoul National University Institutional Review Board 206
[Appendix 2] The Questionnaire of Pre-test (Chinese Version) 207
[Appendix 3] The Questionnaire of Pre-test (Korean Version) 209
[Appendix 4] The Questionnaire of Main Study (Chinese Version) 211
[Appendix 5] The Questionnaire of Main Study (Korean Version) 217
Abstract in Korean 225
[Table 2-1] Societal and technological factors shaping the future of virtual worlds 22
[Table 2-2] Chinese Metaverse industry's evolution and development stages of supply and demand 38
[Table 3-1] Relationship between three theories and avatar in the Metaverse 73
[Table 4-1] Stimuli from taobao life Metaverse 108
[Table 4-2] Questionnaire composition of main study 111
[Table 4-3] Measurements of enclothed avatar wishful identification 112
[Table 4-4] Measurements of enclothed avatar actual identification 113
[Table 4-5] Measurements of self-extension 114
[Table 4-6] Measurements of self-expansion 115
[Table 4-7] Measurements of self-concept clarity 116
[Table 4-8] Measurements of purchase intention of virtual products 118
[Table 4-9] Measurements of purchase intention of physical products 119
[Table 5-1] Paired samples t-test on pre-post analysis of avatar similarity 122
[Table 5-2] Paired sample t-test results of enclothed avatar identification 122
[Table 5-3] Sample profiles 126
[Table 5-4] Confirmatory factor analysis results 130
[Table 5-5] Discriminant and convergent validity of constructs 132
[Table 5-6] Exploratory factor analysis results of self-concept clarity 133
[Table 5-7] Moderation analysis results for enclothed avatar actual identification and self-concept clarity on self-expansion 137
[Table 5-8] Conditional effects of the enclothed avatar actual identification at different levels of the self-concept clarity 138
[Table 5-9] Moderation analysis results for enclothed avatar wishful identification and self-concept clarity on self-expansion 140
[Table 5-10] Conditional effects of the enclothed avatar wishful identification at different levels of the self-concept clarity 141
[Table 5-11] Moderation analysis results for enclothed avatar actual identification and self-concept clarity on self-extension 142
[Table 5-12] Moderation analysis results for enclothed avatar wishful identification and self-concept clarity on self-extension 143
[Table 6-1] Summary of research hypothesis testing results 151
[Fig 2-1] Structure of Metaverse 20
[Fig 2-2] Four types of Metaverse 24
[Fig 3-1] Research model 75
[Fig 4-1] Consumer preference for fashion top-bottom sets 107
[Fig 5-1] Structural equation modeling results 135
[Fig 5-2] Differentiation self-expansion by a relationship with enclothed avatar actual identification 138
[Fig 5-3] Differentiation self-expansion by a relationship with enclothed avatar wishful identification 141