Remember Bitmoji? They were all the rage back in 2016, largely due to Snapchat. Well, it’s now 2020, and Facebook has decided it’s the perfect time to embrace its status as the least cool social network and introduce its own avatars. If you’re curious, here’s how to make a Facebook avatar.
The first thing to note is that you can only create a Facebook avatar through one of Facebook’s apps. If you only use Facebook through a web browser, you’ll have to install the Facebook or Messenger app in order to create an avatar.
How to make a Facebook avatar
The most straightforward way to do it is by tapping the hamburger menu button (to the right of the notifications bell) in the Facebook app, opening the ‘See More’ section, and selecting ‘Avatars’. Though you can also hit the ‘Try It’ button that appears under other people’s avatars when they pop up in your News Feed.
Now it’s time to customise your avatar, by setting a series of parameters, including skin tone, hairstyle, face shape, nose shape, eye colour and make-up, all the way through to things like body shape and accessories.
There’s even an option to look at yourself through your selfie camera while you’re doing this, just in case you’ve forgotten about all of your tiny imperfections.
Related: How to stop Facebook tracking your web browsing
Once you’re happy with your creation, hit the tick icon in the top right corner of the screen, and feel free to plaster your avatar all over Facebook.
Oh, and if you change your mind part-way through the avatar-making process, you can delete it by hitting the bin icon.
“Avatars enable you to share a range of emotions and expressions via a digital persona that’s uniquely representative of you, so we’re excited to bring this new form of self-expression to more people around the world,” Fidji Simo, the head of the Facebook app, wrote in a post.
“There are so many different ways you can use your avatar, including in comments, Stories, Messenger—and soon text posts with backgrounds, too.”
Related: When did I join Facebook? How to find out how old your account is
Simo adds that “avatars let you react and engage more authentically with family and friends across the app”, which seems like a strange thing to say about cartoon versions of real people, and says Facebook plans to keep adding more hairstyle, complexion and outfit options to the feature.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
