There’s a benefit, probably the main benefit IMO, that I don’t feel like the above or any commenters address.
I claim that:
Profile pictures will make “who wrote what” more identifiable and memorable
There are many ways in which this could be good:
--- A: It will become easier to recall (and then potentially discuss) content that someone wrote when meeting them in-person / on zoom. I’ve had the experience multiple times at EA Globals where I interact with someone, then look them up, and realize there were topics they’ve written about that I would have loved to discuss, if only I recalled that they were the ones who wrote it.
---B: It will be easier to build ideas around individuals, such that you know better how to relate to their content. For example, there are usernames that post often on the Forum, but I currently often don’t readily recall if I’ve found their previous articles accurate and insightful. Often I don’t click on these titles, because I’m time-constrained. If I had a better model of whose work I’d appreciated or not appreciated in the past, I could better select what content I consume in the future (digitally, in person, or on zoom). This applies regardless of my selection algorithm… e.g. “read more of what I like”, “read more of what is popular but my prior is I won’t like”, “see how this person’s thoughts are developing”, etc. It also gives me more opportunity to make better decisions on who I interact with, how much I understand them, and in what ways.
----- I understand that many may see this as a negative (becoming too focused on who the author is), but I personally expect that building better models / having richer information is generally valuable.
There’s a benefit, probably the main benefit IMO, that I don’t feel like the above or any commenters address.
I claim that:
Profile pictures will make “who wrote what” more identifiable and memorable
There are many ways in which this could be good:
--- A: It will become easier to recall (and then potentially discuss) content that someone wrote when meeting them in-person / on zoom. I’ve had the experience multiple times at EA Globals where I interact with someone, then look them up, and realize there were topics they’ve written about that I would have loved to discuss, if only I recalled that they were the ones who wrote it.
---B: It will be easier to build ideas around individuals, such that you know better how to relate to their content. For example, there are usernames that post often on the Forum, but I currently often don’t readily recall if I’ve found their previous articles accurate and insightful. Often I don’t click on these titles, because I’m time-constrained. If I had a better model of whose work I’d appreciated or not appreciated in the past, I could better select what content I consume in the future (digitally, in person, or on zoom). This applies regardless of my selection algorithm… e.g. “read more of what I like”, “read more of what is popular but my prior is I won’t like”, “see how this person’s thoughts are developing”, etc. It also gives me more opportunity to make better decisions on who I interact with, how much I understand them, and in what ways.
----- I understand that many may see this as a negative (becoming too focused on who the author is), but I personally expect that building better models / having richer information is generally valuable.