this post was submitted on 29 May 2025
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In comment sections or in community pages, it's mostly an ocean of default avatars.

As a UI developer, that's always been a gripe because I put a lot of effort into making them look good and scale properly, etc. When I see 60-70% or more accounts sporting the default avatar, it makes me wonder why I even bother.

So, since this bugs me so much, figured I'd just ask.

Lemm.ee users I can understand because of the waiting period for uploads, but AFAIK, most instances don't have that restriction. Even then, there are plenty of .ee accounts that never bother to go back and set one.

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[–] Vanth@reddthat.com 5 points 4 days ago

If I care enough about another user to note them across time and communities, I give them a tag.

In the other direction, I don't expect anyone to recall my username from one thread to another, to build any sense of my broader personhood greater than one interaction provides.

An avatar just seems unnecessary. I'm also on an app that only displays them if I go out of my way to see them.

[–] tauren@lemm.ee 7 points 4 days ago (2 children)

With 21x21 avatars, the question is why even have this functionality in the first place. That size is too small to matter.

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[–] cabron_offsets@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

Hadn’t really thought about it until you asked. Don’t see why it’s worth the bother.

[–] moistracoon@lemm.ee 4 points 4 days ago

Oh hey Bill, I didn’t know my fbi agent had a Lemmy account

[–] Phen@lemmy.eco.br 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

There are avatars?

My app do display them, but I hadn't paid attention to it.

[–] Opinionhaver@feddit.uk 6 points 4 days ago

I have everyone else's avatars hidden anyway so wouldn't make much sense to set one for myself. I just don't see the appeal.

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

You guys have avatars?!?

[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)
[–] ptz@dubvee.org 6 points 4 days ago (2 children)

You actually have an avatar, lol, so you must not be that lazy haha.

[–] Couldbealeotard@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Are you referring to people's profile pictures as avatars? Otherwise I have no idea what you mean.

[–] ptz@dubvee.org 6 points 4 days ago

Yeah, profile pictures. In the API data, they're called avatar so that's the term I tend to use.

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[–] NENathaniel@lemmy.ca 3 points 4 days ago

Anyone know if there's a way to see avatar's through Voyager?

[–] wosc@lemm.ee 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Because I hadn't even thought of it.

On Reddit, it changed to something semi-unique and, even though I never changed it, I somehow identified with it.

[–] ptz@dubvee.org 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

On Reddit, it changed to something semi-unique and, even though I never changed it, I somehow identified with it.

That's what Tesseract does; pseudorandom avatars based on the actor ID if the profile hasn't set one. But those are just local, though.

Lol, here's what it generates for yours:

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[–] Stamets@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Wonder the same thing a lot. I change mine up semi-regularly, same with my profile banner, but that's just me being bored.

The thing that drives me insane is when a community doesn't use the icon. The FUCK ARE YOU DOING.

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[–] MattTheProgrammer@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Mine's tied to my gravatar from 15 years ago otherwise I wouldn't have one. I'm not here to have a profile picture lol

[–] gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 4 days ago

I have one, but use Voyager so I cannot actually ever see it (nor my changed username)

Not that I care too much, y'all can enjoy how good it looks while you're here but I get to see it everywhere :3

[–] Jimmycakes@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I'm ugly and I don't like cartoon pfp

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[–] Stillwater@sh.itjust.works 5 points 4 days ago

Why would you add one? Who even sees it? This reddit/lemmy style of posting and commenting has always worked with just a username and a comment and I like it that way. If my app started showing them I'd either turn them off or find a new app.

[–] Wahots@pawb.social 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I can't remember if I even bothered setting one. My app doesn't use them. I don't find them particularly useful on forums anyways. I only like them on real time chat apps where I know I'll be interacting with the same folks over and over again.

Edit: I did set one up!

[–] Supervisor194@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

I set my avatar, but I use old.lemmy.world and can't see it anyway.

[–] chuckleslord@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

I have a username. That's all the identifying I need. Why do you feel the need to twitterfy lemmy?

[–] ThisIsAManWhoKnowsHowToGling@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Gonna chime in here and agree that its because its because I never see anyone else's or mine, even on the website

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[–] 3dmvr@lemm.ee 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

They are just so small idrc about others so I dont bother to put one

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

I have one because I finally found a fun pic that was mostly round so it with fill up the avatar bubble enough to still be distinguishable what it was. Most are way too small to make out what it is, and not intriguing enough to click to the profile just to see it slightly larger.

If mine didn't serve slightly as a promo for my community, I'd likely still have the default.

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