Avatar(s)

Posted on February 2, 2021April 19, 2021 by David Hopkins

Does your avatar or social media profile pic matter anymore?

Back in 2015 I thought about the growing ‘trend’ in ditching the cartoon/illustrative image, the professional vs social avatar, and the artistic B&W or outdoorsy ones. Well, over 5 years later, are we really bothered about the avatar? Did all that soul searching change anything about the content you/I share? Did anyone notice?

When I scroll down through my Twitter stream I tend to take more notice of the avatars that stand out from the rest. But what makes the avatar stand out? Bright colours? Artistic flair? Political banner? Photo vs graphic?

What about LinkedIn or Facebook where the post or shared article takes up more screen space than a typical tweet? More information is on the screen about the person that just the Twitter handle or name; you get the name and brief bio as well as more information about the content.

Nope, the avatars that stand out to me as I scroll are the ones I’m most familiar with, been connected to the longest, the ones I value and trust over the others. Some are clearly more ‘professional’ looking than others, some shows some skilled photography or a carefully chosen image/cartoon. Others are just representative of the individual behind the account and the value I place on the content or authenticity that the person shares (note: I say ‘person’. I follow relatively few corporate or ‘brand’ accounts).

So, in 2021, I ask again … “What about you, what do you look for in people’s avatars?”