KOREASCHOLAR

Metaverse is a virtual world where users can engage in various activities, and its market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years (Hwang, 2021). Generation Z, also known as digital natives, are heavily involved in social media and often share selfies, making them more sensitive to body image concerns (Ameen, 2022). In the metaverse, users can create customized avatars, allowing them to experience an ideal body image. This study applies the “extraordinary self” theory to avatar creation, a concept that explains how people create an ideal, fantastic, or transcendent self by consuming experiences that set them apart from their mundane real self (Procter, 2021). Based on the theory, this study examines how dissatisfaction with body image of Generation Z can lead to the creation of avatars that manifest an ideal body image, which in turn, can influence self-congruence with the avatar and self-esteem in the metaverse. This study also looks into the possible effects of enhanced self-esteem on user’s intention to purchase virtual products and their loyalty to a specific metaverse platform. Therefore, the following hypotheses are developed.

• Jinsu Park(University of Minnesota, USA)
• Hye-Young Kim(University of Minnesota, USA)