Photo Avatars?
By BunGirl
@BunGirl (2638)
United States
February 1, 2007 12:10pm CST
I've seen MANY many posts here at myLot asking users to post their pictures as their avatars. I just don't get it! What's so important about seeing someone's face on their profile?
The word avatar (in computer terms) is defined as "a graphical image that represents a person, as on the Internet" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/avatar). Get that folks? A graphical image. Not necessarily a photograph. If you wish to use your photo, great! More power to you. But don't tell me I should do the same.
Personally, I think one of the greatest things about meeting new friends on the net is that you don't have to worry about people judging you based on physical appearance. In the real world, people are judged by the color of their skin, by the way they comb their hair, by the clothes they wear, etc. Here online, I don't have to worry about all that! I can let my words speak for me. People who run across me online can see my words, my thoughts, and my feelings and decide about me based on that alone. What a wonderful thing! Why would I want to give that up just so someone else can satisfy their idle curiosity as to what I look like?
1 person likes this
4 responses
@blueberrypie (33)
• United States
1 Feb 07
I agree with you that one of the best parts about being on the Internet is that people aren't able to base their opinions about you on appearance. That said, I think that the reason people want to see you is because as human we base so much on what we can see in terms of features and body language. If you think about it, from the moment we are born we learn to read the faces of those we love, it is there reflected on their features that we learn our behavior has consequences. For example, we smile and those we love smile back.
In our brains we begin to catagorize familar or like things together. Its how the brain naturally organizes information. We make associations. Soon we feel comfortable with certain types of people because of positive associations, and we also fear of those faces that are novel or remind of of someone unpleasant.
I also dream of a world where physical differences no longer matter. Perhaps in time we will be able to overcome some of the biological forces that interfer with that. Maybe the Internet is a begining of that posible reality.
2 people like this
@BunGirl (2638)
• United States
1 Feb 07
Thanks for the very thorough answer! I know why people want to see my face, but really, how can they tell I haven't just posted someone else's face? I could just pull a random person's picture off the internet and claim it was me. As for facial expression, of course the expression in someone's picture wouldn't really tell you anything about them. A photo is just a snapshot of one moment in time. Maybe they're smiling in the picture, but that doesn't mean they're smiling right now.
1 person likes this
@lifeiseasy (2292)
• United States
1 Feb 07
I have no problem with people seeing me because thats who I am ...lol I don't think people will ridicule your picture and don't worry if you feel that you don't want your picture ,thats fine ... Some people just like to see who they are talking to thats all ,its no offense to anyone be who you want to be ...
