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I have to say I have always felt silly trying to choose or create an avatar that I really like. I can spend far too much time trying to decide whether this small image or that small photo better represents who I am. In a way, avatars are the "clothing" we wear on the web. We are invisible otherwise, so an avatar is how we choose to present ourselves to whoever is looking.

I think avatars are not unlike the things we wear out in the world to show who we are. Short skirts or long, blue jeans and t-shirts, long hair or a cropped cut, piercings or tattoos, conservative or bohemian, we all present an image to the world each day that is primarily of our own choosing.

I'd love to see a study where people create their own avatars and then we get to see the avatar next to the person's photo to see how similar or dissimilar they are! I wonder if more people create avatars that sort of look like them or that are completely different -- an exercise in wishful or goal-oriented thought.

Now, when I can create an avatar to do my chores, it will really, really help my mental health, lol!