  We present a computational modelling approach which targets capturing the
specifics on how to virtually augment a Metaverse user's available social time
capacity via using an independent and autonomous version of her digital
representation in the Metaverse. We motivate why this is a fundamental building
block to model large-scale social networks in the Metaverse, and emerging
properties herein. We envision a Metaverse-focused extension of the traditional
avatar concept: An avatar can be as well programmed to operate independently
when its user is not controlling it directly, thus turning it into an
agent-based digital human representation. This way, we highlight how such an
independent avatar could help its user to better navigate their social
relationships and optimize their socializing time in the Metaverse by (partly)
offloading some interactions to the avatar. We model the setting and identify
the characteristic variables by using selected concepts from social sciences:
ego networks, social presence, and social cues. Then, we formulate the problem
of maximizing the user's non-avatar-mediated spare time as a linear
optimization. Finally, we analyze the feasible region of the problem and we
present some initial insights on the spare time that can be achieved for
different parameter values of the avatar-mediated interactions.
