Virtual body language : the history and future of avatars : how nonverbal expression is evolving on the internet / Jeffrey Ventrella.

Includes bibliographical reference: p. 260-268.

"Human communication is migrating to the internet. Words are becoming electric, dynamic, and interactive. They zip through the internet like thoughts in a brain. But what about face-to-face communication, social chemistry, eye-contact, gesture, and the subtle indicators of emotion that happen so naturally in normal life? Body language is critical for full communication. ... There is a deficit of body language in virtual worlds and social games. Our embodied virtual selves (avatars) are a socially challenged lot. But recent neuroscience is providing new insights to help us build better interfaces for intuitive digital puppetry." -- Back cover.