Real or Fake?

It's not just a question about plastic surgery now.
Avatars are virtual representations of ourselves - rather, we assume them to be. In this sense, "we" is assumed to be the majority of internet users. However, in reality, an avatar doesn't know what it is, and there are no limitations in creating a profile/avatar. While it may have some kind of comical role in some situations, in other situations it can be disturbing, and in yet others it can be almost therapeutic. However, all false avatars are examples of deception, which is why I don't agree with anything but an honest portrayal of the self.
Avatars are, as far as other members of an online community know, a portrayal of the self. When that self is not a true self, then it leads to mistrust in the community and a wariness of unknown characters. A lack of true self can also result in a disastrous first meeting of the two characters in real life - for example, a pedophile could masquerade as a 14-year-old boy on Facebook and try to get unknowing girls to come and hang out, then use them as he/she saw fit when they got to the location. This is the extreme negative end of the spectrum. The other end, however, can be just as powerful. Remember when I said before that the avatar is the only knowledge others on the community have of us? Well that can play a huge role in the lives of social outcasts, misfits, or the physically disfigured. In the gaming world, a man with no legs can be an Olympic triathlete, a Beverly Hills woman can be a die-hard NASCAR fan, and I could be, say, a girl who is a prospect for the US women's soccer team.