Does "avatar" and "icon" mean the same?

Question

Does "avatar" and "icon" mean the same? My guess is that in the internet world,they do mean the same.However, I am a youngster so I am ready to learn.

PS I am thinking about changing my icon -my avatar.

Answer 1

¡Hola!

Not exactly the same thing.

An Icon is used usually to "point" to something, like opening a program.

An avatar is an image that represents "usually" a person, frequently used in games.

Your "avatar" is more or less your "image" that you want associated with yourself.

Answer 2

Think of it this way, an avatar is a personalised projection, an image used to represent a personality

An icon is a symbol that uses an image as shorthand for a function eg "click on the ... picture which means... search or open etc

so avatar=personalised symbol icon= function/action a kind of pictorial verb

and this smiley is an emoticon

I got it. thanks - 00769608, Feb 13, 2010

Answer 3

Avatar represents a person, where as icon is more representative of anything. For example, you do not have an avatar for your computer hard drive, you have an icon, but you do have an avatar if you personalised a picture for yourself here.

thank you - 00769608, Feb 13, 2010

Answer 4

I think in cyberspace they are the same thing Gus.Looking forward to the new avatar.

Thank you. - 00769608, Feb 13, 2010

I guess we are both the smae age in cyberspace Gus o - nizhoni1, Feb 13, 2010