Broadly, an avatar is an object that represents users’ identity on screen. For example, profile pictures are a type of avatar. In the narrow sense, avatars are profile picture placeholders before users add their profile pictures. They also help users quickly scan content on comment threads as they accompany or sometimes replace a name.

Avatars usually include a profile icon, user initials, or identicon on a colored background. Some companies create custom avatars represented by illustrations, animals, emojis, or branding elements.^[1]