Bitte verwenden Sie diesen Link, um diese Publikation zu zitieren, oder auf sie als Internetquelle zu verweisen: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/237411 
Erscheinungsjahr: 
2021
Schriftenreihe/Nr.: 
MUNI ECON Working Paper No. 2021-02
Verlag: 
Masaryk University, Faculty of Economics and Administration, Brno
Zusammenfassung: 
In order to decrease social distance and increase trust on their platforms, many online marketplaces allow traders to be represented by profile pictures or avatars. In a laboratory experiment, we investigate whether the presence of seller avatars affects trading behavior in a market. We contrast markets without avatars with markets where avatars truthfully represent traders and markets where avatars can be freely changed at any time and may thus be chosen strategically. At the aggregate level, we find that the presence of truthful avatars increases the trustwothiness of sellers, but that this effect is undone when avatars can be chosen strategically. We do not detect aggregate effects on buyers' trusting choices. Female avatars are more trusted, and correspondignly in the treatment with free avatar choice men are more likely to represent themselves with a female avatar than vice versa.
Schlagwörter: 
online marketplaces
market design
trust and trustworthiness
avatars
strategic behavior
JEL: 
C72
C90
D91
Persistent Identifier der Erstveröffentlichung: 
Dokumentart: 
Working Paper

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