Avatar Detection: The Potential of Digital Identities for Dark Triad Profiling and Cybersecurity

Avatar creation does not only reflect stable personality traits but is also strongly influenced by the context and the communicative objectives or strategy. Avatars are intentionally modified, with users choosing specific visual and behavioral traits to achieve certain interaction outcomes, such as gaining trust, projecting authority, or increasing attractiveness. This behavior is particularly relevant for identifying Machiavellian tendencies, which involve manipulating others for personal gain. Analyzing how avatars change in different contexts can therefore provide insights into subtle manipulative behaviors. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that Machiavellian people put significantly more effort into tasks based on cunning manipulation and deceit, such as writing phishing emails. By crafting real or hypothetical virtual contexts where avatar customization is associated with manipulative tasks, it is possible that all the antisocial traits would come into the light and be detectable by advanced profiling tools. Based on these initial hypotheses, the Laboratory for Advanced Human Technology Interaction (LAHTI) at Pegaso University in Milan and Naples, Italy, is leading the research project “Avater Detection,” aimed at exploring how avatar construction and use may reflect specific personality traits, with a particular focus on the Dark Triad dimensions.