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Article
Pluralistic Ignorance in Virtually Assembled Peers: The Case of “World of Warcraft.
Games and Culture (2014)
  • Margaret de Larios, Occidental College
  • John T. Lang, Occidental College
Abstract

This article presents a study of pluralistic ignorance situated within the virtual community of guilds in World of Warcraft (WoW). Pluralistic ignorance is a mistaken perception of social norms that overwhelms personal attitudes and leads to behavior contrary to an actor’s attitude, and it has never been studied in the context of a virtual world. We analyze the presence of pluralistic ignorance in WoW guilds with the use of a sample of 195 players who responded to an Internet-based survey and 15 focus group participants. Findings show that pluralistic ignorance has a demonstrably lower presence in that community of WoW players than in a physical world equivalent, suggesting a higher tendency in that community toward consistency between private attitudes and public behavior. Factors uncovered that explain this difference include anonymity, safety of the Internet as social medium, and a hypersalience of identity in the WoW player community.

Publication Date
2014
Citation Information
Margaret de Larios and John T. Lang. "Pluralistic Ignorance in Virtually Assembled Peers: The Case of “World of Warcraft." Games and Culture Vol. 9 Iss. 2 (2014)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/johnlang/10/