Avatars Tell a Lot

Believe it or not, profile pictures can tell a lot about the person. Is he or she funny? Single or married? Plump or slim? Strangers can more or less get a clue of what kind of person you are from your avatar!

Frankly speaking, profile picture is to social media what one’s appearance is to real life. Since your profile picture serve as the handiest source of what kind of person you are to strangers or people unfamiliar, it can leave a strong influence on how others think of you in the long term. 【小题1】

Furthermore, profile photo can partially decide how others trust you. Reports show that a photo of real person gains trust more easily than an image of a cartoon or something else.

Sometimes profile pictures can mirror one’s inner feelings. People who adopt cute pets and animation figures as their profile pictures are more likely to feel uneasy when handling daily trivia.

【小题2】Youngsters tease elder people about their old-fashioned profile photos — either landscape or plants. Obvious enough, post 90s people have more complex taste in choosing profile photos — some use portraits of their idols, some use Internet memes while others choose a popular dog to show they are single. Some even follow the pace of season to change their profile photos.

Unavoidably, different tastes in profile photos render awkward dispute between children and parents. A netizen complained that her mom asked her to change the avatar in which she made a face and stuck out her tongue because Chinese traditional grim reapers do the same facial expression.

Profile picture is believed to somehow reflect personality. A vote on the profile photos mostly used by playboys went viral on Sina Weibo in January 2018. Many Internet users gave positive backing to the result of the vote. Those who use selfies as profile pictures are more inclined to express themselves in public. 【小题3】 Though people of similar temper are very likely to appreciate similar style of profile photo, it is still closely relevant to individual preference.

Is there anyone in your friend list who changes profile photos so frequently on social media that you can’t follow its pace? You have an eyeful of it and can’t help wondering: why did he/she change his/her avatar again? Frequent change of profile photos, or even a changeable style, is likely to be a sign of instable personality. Of course, changing profile photos frequently in a short term may indicate that your friend feels up and down during that time. 【小题4】

Just as appearances do not determine everything, avatars may have a greater impact on the formation of first impressions, but this effect fades as people learn more about each other. 【小题5】 In fact, people know from the bottom of their hearts that a profile photo can never alter the true image of a person that is mostly based on character and quality.