NSF Science Nation wth Miles O'Brien: Your avatar may be just a virtual identity, but it can also affect how you are in the real world. "In this world of new media, people spend a lot of time interacting with digital versions of one another." --Jeremy Bailenson
If you spend a lot of time online, you may even have an electronic alter ego--an avatar. An avatar is a movable image that people design to represent themselves in virtual reality environments or in cyberspace.
"For some reason, I always pick really short people," says Stanford undergraduate student and avid video gamer Oliver Castaneda.