Research

My doctoral project focuses on the socio-cultural experiences of Indian avatar users in virtual worlds. Most existing frameworks are centred on global technological players and approach digital practices in homogenised terms, obscuring cultural specificities. The project addresses this specific gap by critically analysing the experiences of Indian avatar users in immersive platforms Zepeto and IMVU, highlighting aspects of digital interactions that remain invisible in one-size-fits-all frameworks.
The project's research questions are: How do Indian users develop affective repertoires to build and sustain relationships in virtual worlds they experience as ephemeral? Under what social conditions do these repertoires emerge, and what is culturally specific about them? The project analyses repertoire formation as a culturally situated form of affective labour, foregrounding entrustment and kinning as its central expressions. The project aims to critically revise digital anthropological work by showing how users leverage platform affordances (e.g., customisation, gifting) to uniquely shape virtual ties, thereby surpassing homogenised views of avatars. 

Research Focus

• Digital and media anthropology
• Avatar Studies
• Affective Practices
• Entrustment
• Digital Kinning

Research region

Virtual environments and India