We all grew up watching movies of cool astronauts conquering distant planets fighting scaring aliens and using marvelous technology. From hi-tech goggles displaying complicated programming codes in front of their eyes, to holograms of people suddenly materializing out of nowhere to give the latest news, this world seemed to be a very distant future back then. But recent advancements in technology may soon turn all of this into reality. 

In particular, avatars have recently been in the spotlight and are slowly becoming more and more mainstream. So, is it reasonable to think that they will soon become an integral part of life in the Western World? 

The Rise of Digital Avatar

People have been using digital avatars for quite some time now. Just think of the different characters you can choose from whenever playing Call of Duty or even simple games like Minecraft. Of course, these are pre-created avatars and have little to do with your own persona. But there are now signs all over the world suggesting we will soon have the chance to create an avatar faithfully representing not only our facial features but even our body movements. 

The first sign of this change probably came in October 2021, when Mark Zuckerberg, the Chief Executive of Facebook, announced that its famous platform was in the process of becoming a ‘Metaverse Company’. This famous entrepreneur sketched a revolutionary - and frankly quite uncanny - scenario, in which people from all over the world are able to inhabit immersive digital environments, where they can socialize and work with other users through digital avatars. 

The first attempt wasn’t too successful and when in August 2022 Zuckerberg posted his first avatar he was roundly mocked. However, since then his team put a great effort into improving this first prototype and has come up with over 40 versions of Zuckerber’s face before getting final approval from their leader.

There is no way of denying it, avatars are slowly becoming more and more predominant in our world. To give a recent example, a few months ago the famous rock band Kiss decided to leave the stage to reveal digital versions of its members performing ‘God Gave Rock and Roll To You’ to then end the concert with Paul Stanley’s prophetic sentence: ‘The end of the road is the beginning of another road’. 

Another great example is the 2024 Digital Fashion Week which took place this February. During this event, some fashion collections were displayed using digital avatars in the creation of a unique hologram runway show, with designers such as Stephy Fung, Suza Vos x Harriet Davey, and Mutan all taking part in the project. 

As the uncanny scenario pictured by Mark Zuckerberg slowly turns into reality, technology is also improving with programs now able to create pretty faithful representations of real people. The famous company Apple recently released its latest Vision Pro Headset. These goggles allow people to immerse themselves in a digital reality where they can browse through app icons just by looking at them, or by giving voice commands. What makes this product truly unique however is its ability to create hyper realistic avatars based on users’ features. According to its creators, people will be able to scan their faces to create a digital persona that can then be used during video calls. This advanced avatar should also be able to track your face and hand movements while using FaceTime. 

It now seems clear that avatars will soon abruptly enter our lives whether we like it or not. In this regard, it is important to discuss some of the pros and cons of this new technology. 

Pros and Cons of Digital Avatars

Breaking Limitations And Facing New Boundaries 

Digital avatars will break all sorts of physical limits. People will suddenly be able to participate in meetings and share the same digital space with people living in all corners of the world. We will soon discuss important topics with those who don’t speak our language thanks to apps able to instantly translate our words. However, we need to point out that this technology also comes with its own unique set of limitations. 

Communication is a complex skill not merely based on the spoken word. Our facial expressions, gestures, and physical presence all play a role. Will it be possible to build avatars that are so technologically advanced to convey these faithfully? The new Apple’s Vision Pro Headset promises it will faithfully reproduce our hand movements, but how accurate will this tool really be? 

The Identity Problem 

Another important discussion we should have concerns identity. On the one hand, creating a digital avatar may help reduce discrimination in the workspace, but on the other, it may raise the polarizing issue of who can rightfully claim certain features. 

Will all users be able to choose their own ethnicity and gender? And if yes, would there be controls to check whether those are an accurate reflection of the person’s identity? Could a black woman decide to opt for the avatar of a white man to avoid discrimination? And if yes, would the opposite be also allowed? 

A good solution could be the creation of gender-neutral and ethnicity-neutral digital avatars, but this won’t solve all the problems related to digital avatar’s identity. 

Despite all the limitations and ethical problems behind this technology, it now seems obvious that in a few years, digital avatars will become an integral part of our lives. Whether we like it or not, that sci-fi reality that seemed so distant to us as kids may soon become our present.