Are Avatars more/less human like?

I prefer to see/use a real picture of the person. Extra points if they’ve done something creative with it. The pictures that are birds, characters, etc. just don’t intrigue me as much, unless it is something truly outstanding/strange, such as @daloon.‘s I don’t care about knowing if they’re female/male, I just have a very vivid imagination and enjoy picturing the person I’m chatting with…like a movie, it plays in my mind.

@jeanna I feel the same way, but try not to get too hung up on it. For all I know you are a 48 year old blonde guy with a goatee.

I don’t see an avatar as a reflection of you personality captured in 40 pixels (that would be impossible obviously). I see the avatar as a handle, an easy way to recognize the answers people give across multiple questions. Example: when I see one of the two blonds, it’s a quick way of separating the two of them before I start reading the actual answer itself. I wonder if people also use it to skip reading an answer all together..

Having said that, I used my own face in my avatar as a way to give people a little bit of information about myself.

I don’t really see things that small – as I’ve mentioned before (you are all sick of my complaining about my eyesight – I know). I don’t see colours very well either. I read the words and read between the lines. The icon is secondary, and because they change here (on wisdm they didn’t) – I try not to even look at them – so as not to “get used to” them. They could change any minute.

Except daloon’s ass, of course. He’s the exception. But then – I love his ass.

Sometimes I am Boy George, sometimes Picard. Depends on my mood ;) (see my transgender question). ;)

That’s me.

ZEN OUT

Just use a photo of yourself, like I do.

In all somewhat more seriousness, avatars are to a user a bit like a logo is to a company. Strictly speaking, anything recognisable will do, but it’s much easier for people to get to know you if it represents who you are and what you stand for.

In my case, it says sophisticated yet silly. I think that suits me.

Avatars do color how I interpret comments on some subtle level, sometimes reinforcing the text, sometimes creating a cognitive dissonance that detracts from it. The flutherers who use celebrity pics for their avatars will inevitably have their comments performed by those celebrities in my mind. If someone has a goofy looking avatar, it will be that much more difficult to take their comments seriously.

I’m too lazy to bother, but I’ve thought about how it might be quite effective to have several accounts, each with an avatar tailored to reinforce a certain tone of voice. You could than use one account for smartass answers, one for science answers, one for political debate, etc.

@Harp
Hahaha, oh wow. You evil genius.

Mine, is me on the tallest mountain in europe…Felt like rubbing it in to all you guys through my avatar. That is all. haha

I don’t use pictures of myself for anything, I like to use things that I’m interested in, and I usually make my own avatars. I don’t care what people use for their avatars, I never really picture the person anyway.

Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fhtagn!

Saw this image in a mag several years ago and thought it a great representation of who I am since my shamanistic animal is a penguin and my love is reading. I enjoy seeing what people look like but I also have strong associations of certain avatars, i.e., Fyrius, Harp, with the person posting and am happy to see them pop up. I find sexual ambiguity to be part of the fun.

I always use a real picture of me (though it might not always be a current picture), so you can always expect that. :)

I don’t disagree with your analysis, though.