The Metaverse is redefining digital interactions by merging physical, virtual, and social dimensions, yet its effects on social networking remain largely unexplored. This work examines the role of independent avatars (autonomous digital entities capable of managing social interactions on behalf of users), to optimize social time allocation and reshape Metaverse-based Online Social Networks. We propose a novel computational model that integrates a quantitative and realistic representation of user social life, grounded in evolutionary anthropology, with a framework for avatar-mediated interactions. Our model quantifies the effectiveness of a partial replacement of in-person interactions with independent avatar interactions. Additionally, it accounts for social conflicts and specific socialization constraints. We leverage our model to explore the benefits and trade-offs of an avatar-augmented social life in the Metaverse. Since the exact problem formulation leads to an NP-hard optimization problem when incorporating avatars into the social network, we tackle this challenge by introducing a heuristic solution. Through simulations, we compare avatar-mediated and non-avatar-mediated social networking, demonstrating the potential of independent avatars to enhance social connectivity and efficiency. Our findings provide a foundation for optimizing Metaverse-based social interactions, as well as useful insights for future digital social network design.

翻译：元宇宙通过融合物理、虚拟与社交维度，正在重新定义数字交互，但其对社交网络的影响在很大程度上仍未得到探索。本研究探讨了独立化身（能够代表用户管理社交互动的自主数字实体）在优化社交时间分配和重塑基于元宇宙的在线社交网络中的作用。我们提出了一种新颖的计算模型，该模型将基于演化人类学的用户社交生活的定量现实表征与化身介导的交互框架相结合。我们的模型量化了用独立化身交互部分替代面对面交互的有效性。此外，该模型还考虑了社交冲突和特定的社交化约束。我们利用该模型探索了元宇宙中化身增强型社交生活的优势与权衡。由于在将化身纳入社交网络时，精确的问题表述会导致NP难优化问题，我们通过引入启发式解决方案来应对这一挑战。通过仿真实验，我们比较了化身介导与非化身介导的社交网络，证明了独立化身在增强社交连接性和效率方面的潜力。我们的研究结果为优化基于元宇宙的社交互动奠定了基础，并为未来数字社交网络的设计提供了有益的见解。