Lesson 1 avatars
The avatar you choose says a lot about you．The article will help you understand your choice of avatars better．
When you are online，you can be anyone or anything. You can create your own image and a new personality． These digital identities，known as avatars，are a key part of how people use the Internet to communicate and express themselves． 
The first simple 2D avatars appeared in role-playing computer games in the 1980s．Yet，very few people knew that future avatars would have such a wide variety of  forms and uses．By the late 1990s，they had been used in web chats like instant messenger．
When people started creating their own avatars，they discovered that they were going to have the power to create new identities  that did not look or act like their real selves at all．They could dress their avatars in fancy clothes，or they could try being someone of the opposite sex，and call themselves "Andy" instead of "Anna"! When Internet users realised th
at their avatars would be seen by many people，not just their friends，they started having more than one avatar：a sensible 词 one for work；a friendly，good-looking one for meeting people；and a silly one for having fun．Avatars let you express yourself and they give you lots of room for creativity. 
Of course，the avatar you choose says a lot about your personality．If your blog avatar is a picture of a cute cat，your message is "I like relaxing and having fun"．Well-known cartoon characters or laughing monkeys say "I'm a really funny person"． Most people create avatars that have similar features to their personalities and that look more or less like them and act like them．However，nearly all avatars are tall，young and nice-looking，so people obviously make their avatars look better than they do in real life．They also experiment with things like different hairstyles — which says a lot，perhaps，about what they want to look like．
Nowadays，avatars are everywhere．In most web chats，people choose an avatar from a selection of ready-made images，or create their own images． You can also use avatars
that move around and talk when you type in your message．The avatars in online worlds can talk，walk and fly around，meet people，go shopping and attend classes．
The use of avatars has also caused a few concerns．Some users worry that they are spending so much time in virtual  worlds that they are becoming afraid of meeting people in the real world．The use of several avatars can also be a risk，as people can use avatars to cheat  others online．However，other users view  avatars in a more positive light． They look forward to a time when their avatar will act like a real person and travel around bigger，more exciting virtual worlds． 
The Internet Harms Friendships 
While the Internet can bring people closer together，it can also harm friendships． 
Firstly, talking online is no replacement for face-to-face contact — images really cannot replace a real-life smile or hug ．According to a parenting expert，Denise Daniels，communicating through a screen makes it more difficult for children to concentrat
e or show kindness to others．As we know，important social skills are developed through direct contact with other people． It is these skills that enable us to develop lifelong friendships．
Secondly，the Internet can make people self-centered — not thinking of anyone or anything but themselves．For example，instead of having proper conversations with their friends，some people are only concerned with their online popularity — How many "likes" did I get? How many followers do I have? — though we know that the number of "likes" or followers cannot compare to having long-term and rewarding friendships．In addition, a lot of the content posted on social media is shallow or trivial．Posts about funny cat images do not necessarily help form meaningful relationships．
Thirdly, online relationships may not be what they appear to be．Friendships are built on the basis of trust，and with online communication you can never be 100 percent sure that the people you are chatting to is being honest about who they are．Because of this，going online can be particularly dangerous for people who are easily influenced or too trusting． 
In my opinion, friends should focus more on face-to-face communication，and less on online communication. This is the best way to maintain healthy relationships． tablet screen
Cathy's Blog 
The Internet Helps Friendships 
The Internet can help develop friendships in many ways． 
Firstly，the Internet makes communication much more convenient．You can stay in touch with friends no matter where you are or what you are doing．Using a smartphone，a tablet or a computer，you can be in contact at home and also when you are on the move. 
Secondly, the Internet has also made communication more fun．Traditional ways of communicating，like letters and phone calls，can be limiting and take time．However，you can share photos，videos，news stories and websites with your friends online. You can give a brief  response to a message with an emoji or a picture．There are so many online tools you can use to be creative ! 

版权声明：本站内容均来自互联网，仅供演示用，请勿用于商业和其他非法用途。如果侵犯了您的权益请与我们联系QQ:729038198，我们将在24小时内删除。