What Your Avatar Says About You

 Avatars  

Avatars are like masks that we wear to hide or reveal some aspects of our personality. We use them to selectively stress a personal quality that is not obvious even during an encounter in real life. They are convenient shortcuts like symbols, expressing values, hopes, dreams, fantasy, artistic taste, identity, etc. Some experts even suggest that what we express through avatars can sometimes be totally unconscious. The owner of the avatar may not even be able to explain their choice and will typically say “I just like it” or “It doesn’t mean anything” or something to that effect.

There are of course many, many types of avatars. Have a look at the main types of avatars listed below, then tell us which ones are missing from the list, and what you think your avatar says about YOU!

10 most popular avatar types

 &

what they say about their users

1.  Standard head shot: You don’t have a hidden agenda and you’re not   trying to be something you’re not.

2.  Political:  Displays picture of famous politician, activist or logo. It shows affiliation/ support for an ideal or cause.

3.  Celebrity stalker:  Uses photo of a well known figure to show one’s admiration for an actor, singer...

4.  Animal:  Shows love of nature or intends to relate associations to self, e.g cuteness, ferocity etc.

5.  Life of the party:  Silly image or photo, wearing a goofy hat, making a face etc. This says “I’m fun to be with”.

6.  Good ol’ days: Features old picture, baby or a reminder of a bygone era. This is either a family person or a  dreamer.

7.  Cartoon:  Refers to favourite animated figure and perhaps more.

8.  Shadow: Shows attempt to portray oneself as secretive, mysterious and attention-seeking.

9. Occupation or hobby: These can be reflections of status:  student, teacher, artist etc.

10. Default avatar:  Indicates a new user, s.o private, lazy, or unwilling to commit temporarily or permanently.

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There must be many more types of avatars missing from the above list. So, please feel free to add them on. Now, think about the following questions and post a comment, please.

·         Are you going to change your avatar? Do you ever change it? Why?

·         Do you use the same avatar in other websites that you are a member of?

·         Do you look  like your avatar?

·         Does it display your personality?