Introduction
Buying a digital character, changing a virtual avatar, becoming “someone else” in the metaverse — are we expressing our true selves, or slowly becoming strangers to ourselves?
Today, trading virtual characters is no longer just about buying and selling in-game items. From skin packs costing a few dollars to NFT avatars worth millions, “buying an identity” is quietly changing how we see ourselves.
When I buy a character in digital art, is that “me” actually me, or someone else?
Humans Have a Tendency Toward Self-Expansion
We all want to define ourselves through what we own — a stylish piece of clothing, a car we love, a special album. These objects are not just possessed; they gradually become part of “me.” In consumer psychology, this is referred to as “Self-Expansion.” Virtual characters operate in the same way.
When you buy a cool NFT avatar, you’re not just buying an image — you’re expressing an identity: “I belong to this community.” When you equip a limited-edition skin for your game character, you’re also communicating your aesthetics and attitude.
Take the collaboration between Gucci and Roblox — people are willing to spend a lot on virtual bags. It’s not a real bag, but it’s part of “my digital identity.” For many young people, their virtual image is already as important as their real-life outfits.
From this perspective, a virtual character is not just an image — it’s a tool for self-expansion. It helps us break through physical and spatial limits, allowing the “self” to be expressed as something visible, usable, and possessable for the first time.
But the problem is: Could there be too many “me”s?
Switching identities isn’t a problem in itself — the problem is that we might have too many identities.
You’re an artsy intellectual on social media, an adventurous risk-taker in the virtual world, a fearless warrior in a game… Switching between several “selves” every day, over time, it can become difficult to tell which one is the real you.
Research has found that people who frequently switch between multiple virtual identities for a long time are prone to confusion about their self-identity. They may feel that their real-life self is “not good enough,” and even experience discomfort in real-world social interactions.
But the issue is that capital is market forces also fueling this fragmentation. Take the Chinese virtual idol “A-soul” as an example. When the real performers behind the characters were revealed, many fans felt disillusioned because the image they loved turned out to be nothing more than a carefully packaged product. Similar situations occur in the NFT craze — many people, after buying at high prices, don’t get the satisfaction they imagined; instead, they are left with a sense of emptiness.
When “self-expression” gradually becomes a consumable and manipulable symbol, virtual characters also shift — from a tool for self-expression into a trap for self-loss.
Personality Fragmentation, or Self-Growth?
In fact, virtual characters are neutral in themselves. They can either enrich us or fragment us. The key lies in how we use them.
“Personality fragmentation” here is not a clinical diagnosis, but a more everyday sense of splitting: when a person constantly switches between their authentic self and their ideal self, their sense of stable core can begin to weaken. Conversely, when you clearly understand that your virtual character is part of you — a side you want to explore — it becomes healthy self-expansion. For example, an introverted person who plays an outgoing leader in a game might actually learn communication skills and gradually bring that confidence back to real life.
But when you start being controlled by your virtual character — constantly changing personas to cater to algorithms, traffic, or commercial packaging, to the point of slowly forgetting your real self — that moves into the danger zone of personality fragmentation. It is no longer a tool for self-growth, but a hidden constraint.
In other words: do you “own” the character, or does the character “own” you?
Reality Is Already Providing Answers
Some tech companies have begun to face this issue and are trying to offer their own solutions:
Adobe, for instance, uses Content Credentials to bind creators’ real identities to their virtual works, preventing AI misuse and protecting creators’ rights. Meta has set up a “Digital Well-being” section in its Safety Center, offering guidelines and tools to help users engage with the virtual world in a healthier way，avoid addiction and identity confusion.
These attempts are far from perfect, but they show at least one thing: we can enjoy the virtual world without losing our real selves. The relationship between virtual identity and the authentic self is no longer just a personal issue — it is becoming a challenge that society as a whole must address.
What Can We Do?
If we truly live in an era that increasingly relies on virtual characters, perhaps the most important thing is not to reject them outright, but to stay clear-headed.
At the very least, we can ask ourselves two questions from time to time: Does this character make me feel freer, or more anxious? Am I using it to express myself, or to escape from reality?
A truly healthy state is not to completely leave the virtual world, but to maintain a clear sense of self-awareness between the virtual and the real.
Conclusion
Back to the original question: the “me” in digital art — is that me or a stranger?
The answer is: It depends on you.
If you use it to expand your possibilities, it is your extension. If you are consumed, controlled, fragmented by it — increasingly dependent on that packaged identity — then it becomes a prison of its own kind.
Technology will not stop. The virtual world will only become more real. What truly matters is not how many characters we own, but — no matter how many faces we put on — whether we still remember who we are.
Editor’s Note
This article is adapted from an academic paper titled “In the Era of Virtual Character Trading: Is the ‘Me’ in Digital Art Myself or Another Stranger?” If you are interested in the philosophy, psychology, or NFT topics mentioned, feel free to leave a comment for discussion.It is an excerpt from the article “Digital Art Management and Enterprise 1: Conceptualization from the Perspective of Art and Festival Management”, written by the Art and Festival Management program at De Montfort University.
About the Author
Ziqi Lin is an undergraduate student in Arts and Festival Management at De Montfort University (DMU). With a previous background in visual arts and community volunteering, Ziqi explores how creative expression and local cultural traditions can be brought to life through festival programming and inclusive audience engagement.
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