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About this talk

Rabindra (Robby) Ratan has spent two decades studying the psychology of avatars, virtual reality, and emerging media. His new book, Avatars: What They Are and Why They Matter (Polity Press), takes a broad view of avatars—beyond the purely digital—as visual, auditory, and physical forms of self-representation, from video game characters and virtual bodies to robots, deepfake voices, and beyond. This book talk explores the growing importance of avatars in how we experience ourselves and connect with others. Drawing on research in media psychology and communication, Ratan examines how and why avatar characteristics subtly influence their users through the “Proteus effect” and related phenomena, charting a path for future research on avatar effects more broadly. As AI and immersive technologies further blur the boundaries between people and their representations, Avatars offers a framework for understanding where these technologies are headed and what that may mean for the evolving experience of being human. Rabindra (Robby) Ratan (PhD, USC Annenberg; MA/BA, Stanford University) is Professor and AT&T Endowed Chair at Michigan State University’s Department of Media and Information, where he directs the Social and Psychological Approaches to Research on Technology-Interaction Effects (SPARTIE) Lab. His research examines how media technologies (e.g., avatars, AI, XR) influence meaningful outcomes (e.g., learning, well-being) across societal contexts (e.g., education, health, industry), with particular focus on avatar-mediated communication, human-AI interaction, teaching with VR and AI, and the Proteus effect (i.e., avatar characteristics influencing user behaviors). He has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles, he founded and co-leads the Meaningful XR conference community, and his first book, Avatars: What they are and why they matter (Polity Press), is forthcoming in late 2026.

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