Effects of Collaborative Activities on Group Identity in Second Life

摘要

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of collaborative activities on group identity in Second Life. To achieve this purpose, this study adopted events that promoted participants' interactions using tools inherent in Second Life. The interactive tools given to the control group in this study include: 'permissions to move, copy, and edit'; 'give item'; 'chat'; 'send instant messaging'. In addition to these tools, special tools of 'Give Item' for Praise and 'Pollster' were given to the experimental group. The two groups were compared on a score of group identity, which has nine sub-categories. The experimental group showed higher scores in five subcategories than the control group. Thus, we concluded that the use of tools for facilitating participants' interactions is effective for formation of group identity.