Digital Doppelganger
Creating this avatar was like making a digital self, and in the process I thought about how going through this whole digital process can be surprisingly complex.
This build your own avatar site is really fun and fairly detailed. Choosing a hair color went beyond browns and blondes, but specific shades. It offers a variety of trendy clothing that can match your vibe or even craft a whole new vibe. I was even able to add a little grumpy cat with an eye patch, because, well, cats.
This whole assignment and experience made me think about “engagement” in a new way. Not the mindlessly scrolling through social media at night.
True engagement is about being active. It’s about creating stuff, interacting with it, and actually investing yourself. It’s the difference between just consuming content and being content.
Creating my Pirate avatar totally illustrated this. First, there’s personalization. Being able to customize every little thing made me feel like I actually owned that avatar. It was mine. Second, there’s decision-making. All those choices-eyes, clothes, everything-forced me to be involved, which made me way more invested in the final result. Finally, there’s self-expression. My avatar became a way to show off my personality and style online. And let’s be honest, thats a huge part of why we’re all on the internet anyways, right?
Creating that avatar was way more than just a fun distraction. It was a lesson in how we create ourselves online, and how true engagement means being active, involved, and putting a little bit of your soul into your digital presence.
If you would like to create your own Pirate Avatar click here: Piratetar