The most common thing on social networks is to use a selfie, although more and more users are choosing other ways. Personally, I have started changing my social media images for an avatar. Although you may think that it doesn’t make much sense, I’m going to explain to you why I use an avatar as my profile photo on social networks.
You may think that on social networks like Twitter, Facebook or Instagram it is not a problem, but on LinkedIn it is a bad idea. Contrary to what you may imagine, using a personal photograph is the opposite of what we should do if we like privacy. I’m going to tell you the main reasons why I changed my profile photo for an avatar.
Increase privacy
It is not usually taken into account that anyone can access our user profile. A malicious attacker could take our profile image and impersonate us on the internet. This is something very simple and is used by many to scam third parties without having to expose themselves.
Another thing you should consider is that with the rise of AI it is quite easy to use deepfake tools. Someone could use your image to create a scam using a video generated by artificial intelligence.
Using an avatar prevents all these complications that can cause us problems. Even if it turns out that it wasn’t us, we have already had some pretty unpleasant moments.
Personal touch to the profile
Social media is full of first-person images or selfies, so it’s hard to stand out with such a generic type of image. Breaking that monotony on networks and adding an avatar is a differentiating and creative feature. Above all, this can be interesting on LinkedIn if you want to apply for jobs as a content editor, designer or other creative fields.
Also say that there are many options in the sense of creating avatars. Some websites can generate it for you through AI by uploading an image of us. There are also those that can transform us into a character from The Simpsons, Disney and other animated series.
Avoid prejudices
It is not uncommon for a person to be belittled on social media because of their appearance, and of course, for this they need to see us. Many use the profile image to attack a comment that they feel is out of place, is derogatory, or simply because they don’t have enough. One way to avoid these personal attacks is to create an avatar.
Although of course, they will use the fact of using an avatar to undermine and despise you, there is no way to save themselves. The truth is that you live more peacefully in the dump that Twitter has become with an avatar instead of your own photograph.
Fun and creativity
Surely you have played many games in which you could customize your avatar. These customization mechanisms have never been very good, but you now have the possibility to finally create an avatar that looks like you. There are many tools and ways to do it that you will surely like on the Internet.
Many times an avatar says more about a person than a dull photograph with a white background or a bland background. It indicates that the person has taken time to create an image that reflects what they are like beyond a facade.