Avvies, identity and change

[Nogrod]

How does your avvie represent you? Do you change your self-image - or have you thought how you might change in the eyes of others - when you change the avvie? What do you say?

I have been thinking about this sometimes but now got curious enough to open a thread for it.

What I mean is...

Have you seen Mith having an avvie, ever? Or Anguirel, or...

What does that make you think about them?

Or could you think davem, Lalwënde, Kath, the phantom, littlemanpoet, Rune, Legate, Esty... (to be continued...) to have a different avvie?

What would you think if they changed their avvies?

How about Hookbill, Fea, Lommy, Aganzir, Brinn, Form, Nerwen, me... We seem to change the avvie every once in a while. What does it tell you or make you think?


How do the avvies relate into what you think of the person? Ever been surprised because of a new avvie by someone? Did that new avvie make you rethink what kind of person the holder of it was?

Just think the "case Boro" (sorry Boro but I think you can handle being an example here). There were a couple of mur-murs with Boro lately but they toned down pretty fast, but what was the importance of the factor he took his old avvie? To me - I can admit, even if I wasn't in anyway enraged by the whole thing and just liked and like him as a BD-contributor and friend - it made me feel better anyway, like more secure he was what he had been. There was a relievement of some sorts when he took his old avvie.

But what is that? Why is that?

How much do we look at each other through the avvies?

[Nogrod]

Just to make a point I'll post here some of the avvies I've had for a bit longer during my stay here at the 'Downs.


So here's with what I started actually... playing a host of WW-games.



Someone indeed knew the artist who had made this pic to a band...

Then I think I had this nice pic of Shostakovich for a pretty long time. Firstly because I love his music and secondly because he looks like my grandfather when he was a young man... I might return to this pic one day.



Then I had my Gallén-Kallela period - a Finnish artist in the early 20th century renowned especially from his paintings on Kalevala...

So first I had this that we had a print on our wall when I was a child and had always been quite overwhelmed by it.

[Nogrod]

When the Children of Húrin was published I changed it into this pic of Gallén-Kallela where Kullervo is cursing as a young man...



After that I think I had this Owl of Minerva quite a long time...



Also I stuck with Tom Bombadill for some time with the WW-game and had him on board for quite a while.

[Nogrod]

And lately I had this nice pic made by Brinn for some time (kudos!).



Untill another WW-game forced me to make a change into this:



... for a reason...


But looking back, I'm not sure if I can make a pattern from there.

Sure it tells something about me but what does it tell in the end?


So what do our avvies tell of us - and how should we consider the avvies of others?

[Hakon]

I see the avatars as an extension of the person as you mentioned. When Hookbill and you both changed your avatars it annoyed me. We get so used to seeing the people and avatars around us the same way that when one change comes up it bothers us until we get used to it. In my experience the changes are not always that obvious but online the avatars help to notice. I think it is even clearer with signatures since they are quotes.

Nogrod, you said you are not sure you can make out a pattern. I can see why it would be hard to make out a pattern since you have been on this site for a while. I have only been here for a little over 2 months and looking at the four avatars I have used I can see the change in my personality, sort of. I started off with a painting of a starry night and some mountains. I had a small personality shift and I changed it to a drawing of some woman then I changed it to a drawing of a woman in the rain and then to the one I have now. I changed it cause of my brief personality shift which is also why I changed my signature here. I kept changing it cause I felt none of them fit right until I changed it to the one I have now. That is my, well it sure as hell isn't my two cents.

[narfforc]

I don't have an Avvie, the reason is, that I'm older than old and don't understand the Science of Saruman's Tekromancy, I wouldn't know where to start.



P.S This message took me three hours to write.



.Full Stop......


.

[Hakon]

I think the reason some people don't have an avatar is that they don't want to open up. I am not sure about this but I think that if you were to look at all the people on this site who do not have avatars, that they have told other people the least about their personal lives.

[Nienna]

I think a person's choice in picture can say a lot about them. I know that the pictures are mainly how I think about a person. I am a visual person and tend to see their avatar in my head. They can also tell about a person's personality and what interests them. I have a Klimt painting which says a lot about my aesthetic taste. Other people have pictures from movies they are fond of or funny things they have found.

Basically I think that since an avatar is a conscious choice that appeals to someone enough to make it a part of their online persona then it must say something about someone... even if it is only that they like cats.

[wilwarin538]

Interesting....I myself always stick to a theme, usually butterfly related, and blue, haha. I think that always seemed to reflect me, if anyone was to see a blue girl or a blue butterfly avatar they would connect that to me. I think there are lots of people who are similar in that sense, sticking to a certain theme and such.

I usually end up picturing people as their avatars, mainly when it's a person in it. Even though some people change theirs often (like Nogrod) I just kind of mix all of their previous ones in my head along with their current one. And the avatarless just stay a big question mark in my head, haha. Makes them very mysterious to me...

Some past ones of mine. The first one being my very first, and probably the one I kept the longest, the other being my previous one. I rather like my current one, I think it will stay a while.

[narfforc]

Originally Posted by Hakon

I think the reason some people don't have an avatar is that they don't want to open up. I am not sure about this but I think that if you were to look at all the people on this site who do not have avatars, that they have told other people the least about their personal lives.

No!

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Hakon

I think the reason some people don't have an avatar is that they don't want to open up. I am not sure about this but I think that if you were to look at all the people on this site who do not have avatars, that they have told other people the least about their personal lives.

And then there are the proud iconoclasts. I think the Downs tends to have a rather high proportion of them.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

And then there are the proud iconoclasts. I think the Downs tends to have a rather high proportion of them.

Yes, I am so iconoclastic that I have an avatar simply because not having an avatar is so passe among us image breakers.

[Pitchwife]

Hmmm... interesting. Being comparably new here, I haven't had that much time to observe changes in avatars (though I've noticed some, of course), and I haven't yet felt the need to change my own (though I've pondered some alternatives). I think for me the avatar is part of the clothes we wear in this place, just like the names we choose, locations and signatures - different ways to express different aspects, facets of ourselves. And just like we may change our clothing styles or haircuts in real life over time, or dress differently for different occasions, it's perfectly ok to change your avvie if you feel like it (or go naked).
Generally, I identify people with their names rather than pictures - that, and what I've read of them. Some make more marked impressions than others, of course. Those with whom I've interacted more (whether in discussions or games), or who have a sort of charismatic presence, I've come to associate with their individual writing styles, humour, way of thinking etc much more than with their avvies. (Eg davem will always be unmistakably davem, whatever the little pic under his name; same for Form, Legate, yourself Nog, Boro, Might, to name just a few.)
That said, there are numerous exceptions to the rule.
I think it's different with people who have actual faces as their avatars - I associate those with their avvies much more than others. I think of Rune whenever I see a picture of Karl Marx (probably a symptom of Downs addiction) and vice versa. I know alatar doesn't really look like whoever his avvie is (I feel I should know the guy, but the name escapes me), I've seen his real pic on the photo page, and he sure has an unmistakable style, but that's the face he's stuck with in my mind. Form, to me, is Julius Caesar, whatever I've said above. Lalwende is Bilbo (it took me a while to adjust to her being female, despite her name!). Esty is Princess Fiona. Lommy is the Mucha (?) girl - and I was relieved when she changed back to it after her WW game. (She's also a penguin, and I think of her whenever I see penguins, but that's more a background idea.) etc pp.
(Now that makes me ponder - how do I actually feel about people thinking of me as a sheltie dog? Not too bad, but hmm... maybe it's time for a change after all?)
Side topic to this - how much is our psychological response to people conditioned by their avvies? Maybe one of the reasons I found it so hard to accept McCaber as the Seer in Mnemi's WW game was that his avvie doesn't exactly seem to invite trust and confidence; and Lalaith, that cute little rodent, as the last wolf was a small shock.
Which goes to show that it's much too easy to form a fixed image of somebody based on a tiny square of pixels. All the more reason to change every now and then, or go without one like narfforc and others, if you prefer that.
(By the way, Nog's parade of past avvies made me think - wouldn't it be nice to have a graveyard thread for discarded avatars, like the one that already exists for signatures? Or would that need too much server storage capacity?)

EDIT - PS: Now look what you've done! (And thanks to Mnemi for inspiring this)

[alatar]

Originally Posted by narfforc

I don't have an Avvie, the reason is, that I'm older than old and don't understand the Science of Saruman's Tekromancy, I wouldn't know where to start.

There is help out there, ya know. Heck, even I was able to create an animated one (though I can't use it).

Do you need someone to chew your food?

[narfforc]

Originally Posted by alatar

Do you need someone to chew your food?

That's Ageism, and I'm only young for an Half-orc.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by narfforc

That's Ageism, and I'm only young for an Half-orc.

You're not that old. If you'd like, me or another could help you upload an avatar; it'd be as simple as downloading a file (you'd have to right-click - something even Half-orcs can do), and then uploading it again via the 'Edit Avatar' tab. Why, you could even make it a contest, giving people a general idea about what you want, and then pick the avatar that you like.

If you're so inclined, that is...

And note that I can't change my avatar as I use it as a bookmark within threads to see where I last left off. If I changed it, I wouldn't be able to find me.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

Have you seen Mith having an avvie, ever? Or Anguirel, or...

What does that make you think about them?

I have had avatars intermittantly since I managed to get the facility to work. If the presence or absence of one has caused anyone to speculate then I would prefer they kept their thoughts to themselves. And suggest they have far too much time on their hands.

[Durelin]

I believe I went back to my 'original' (as far as I can remember) Warcract Dark Elf avatar (which when I first used I had no idea where it was from) when I decided I wanted to become more active again on the 'Downs after an absence, and mostly just in the RP section, the section I enjoy the most and have always participated in the most consistently (shows something about my consistency, or rather lack).

It was a back to my roots thing. Yeah.

Other than that my avatar changes are about sharing my interests, fitting with a theme (such as fitting with an RPG I'm participating in), or putting up a cool image people can associate with me...mostly the last reason.

For all those who have too much time on their hands, ponder the suggestion that those who don't feel the need to use avatars, especially those who have resisted the urge to use them for a long time, are extremely comfortable with themselves and feel no need to make themselves stand out with a cool avatar.

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

I have changed my avatar, but not often I can only remember two of them, when I first joined, I had a picture of Samwise with his and Frodo's swords in his hands. It was because of my user name, it fits, i guess, because Sam very well might be my favourite character in Tolkien's writings.
I now have one of a tea pot building (which, incidentally, is my default one on LJ) the only reason is because I like tea.
Now, Laurinque for a while really wanted me to change back to my Sam avvie because it reminds her of TGEW, despite the fact that she knows me in RL and sees me just about every other day.

As far as other avvies go, Hookbill's has changed quite a lot since I first joined. But the one that I liked best was the one that said "News, it's good.", I still think of that when I read his posts.

Eönwë, on the other hand, I couldn't imagine him without his avvie. Lalwende falls into the same category. If she changed her avvvie, I think that the BD would explode or smething.

Nogrod, to me is still Tom Bombadil, simply because I really liked that avatar.

For me, if I am friends with a Downer on Facebook, I rely less on their avatar to make an image. I will now associate them with photos that they have posted of themselves. Though, I still think of their avatar when I see them.

[Morsul the Dark]

ok so I used to infamous for nearly daily avvie changes....

lets see:
http://www.frbatlanta.org/publica/hi...es_black_m.gif
http://images2.fanpop.com/images/qui...4281118_50.jpg
the wonka one
cookies...
there was a wizard...
a different wizard...

umm...

a bunch more

[Valesse]

I have only used three avatars on the Barrowdowns- the first two were of a yellow tabby in a red bathing cap and suit (the only change on which was that of the scrolling text). It was a crazy picture, and because I linger like a fog in the mirth quarter, it fit rather well. I did have concerns that other users who more fully utilized the forums thought that I had only enough recall to the books, or exposure from the movies to slap names on Crazy Captions or scenarios in Be Careful What You Wish For. A silly fear indeed! But it occurred to me none-the-less.

My current one is a quickly aging piece of pop-culture (Ron "following the butterflies" from Potter Puppet Pals) and was put in place a few years ago just before the overhaul of the avatar system to disallow the use of animated .gifs. As childish as it seems to me, I don't want to give it up simply because it moves and to not have that would mean to give up a kind of bizarre and pointless privilege. Heren and I are part of an elite crowd, you realize.

Now that it has been mentioned, It seems as if those without avatars seem to be literally names without faces. I think I might actually even have a harder time remembering what that individual user has posted (in a WW game, for instance) as compared to one with an avatar... similar to the difference in having to recall something from radio or from a person in the room. For me the second option is always easier, but perhaps I'm simply require a tad more visual stimulation than the rest.

Of all of the avatar changes which shocked me the most was Hookbill's latest one for some reason. I like the new one a lot, but it's very different to what I'm used to! It hasn't made me feel any differently about the Down's favorite Newspaper Editor, though. He's an odd duck, but by gum he's our odd duck.

[Eönwë]

Am I the only one who found the sudden recent change of a few people's avatar's quite confusing?

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Eönwë

Am I the only one who found the sudden recent change of a few people's avatar's quite confusing?

I can't speak for others, but my change was strictly temporary. I'm going back to the old soon.

[Loslote]

I don't like not changing every so often, but I am so confused by other people's avie changes that I don't dare change mine. I have found a (at least for now) good compromise: I keep the basic avie, but change something in it through paint/Gimp/photoshop every so often. So I'm snowing now.

[Airaloske]

I'm brand new here so I'm still trying to find my place. Current av is Raistlin Majere simply because I identify with the grey-area nature of life.

[Galadriel55]

I'm a visual person, so I see who posted faster by their avvie than their name. And when the search function disappoints me and I remember that a certain person wrote something on a certain thread, I'd skim through looking for their avatar.

Sometimes I confused Pitch and Zil because of that, since they both have blabk and white avvies. I don't know why them two; I never confuse Lottie, Bethberry, alatar, or anyone else with a white and black avvie...

Lately I've been going "what on earth?!" when seeing TGEW's new avvie. Even after a few times I still continue thinking if it's Rumil who posted. Something similar happened when Galadriel changed hers from Galadriel to Bombadil. I couldn't believe it was her.

I think that out of all the avvie changes I saw the least dramatic one was Agan's. Lions remain lions, after all.

Originally Posted by Loslote

I don't like not changing every so often, but I am so confused by other people's avie changes that I don't dare change mine.

Lol! I sometimes think the same way, but then I think again and decide that I don't want to change my avvie in the first place. Instead I change my siggy.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

The holiday avatar season has taken off rather slowly this year - I'm glad to see that Bêthberry has joined me by showing a festive image! I'm doubly delighted that hers is from the Father Christmas Letters, which we are discussing this year.