Hamberites Debate on the new Snapchat Bitmoji
Photo Credit: Wifi Hifi
Snapchat‘s new Bitmoji style has sparked an ongoing debate among students, with many claiming that with each update, it worsens.
In comparison to the 2018 avatar update, the new 3D avatar update in 2023 offers more realistic hair textures and facial qualities. "The new avatar style improves characteristics like hair texture, face shading and body proportions. Your Bitmoji can now have a bolder smile, a more astonished face when they’re surprised, and can express even the most subtle and nuanced emotions," Snapchat stated.
“I think Snapchat should change it back, because it used to have the Snapchat vibe, but now it doesn’t feel like it anymore,” shared Ashley Park (9), an avid Snapchat user. Park also said that the new Bitmoji is scarier and more intimidating. “The previous style is still my favourite.”
“My favourite bitmoji style was the one before this current one [2018],” Nicholas Vranakis (11) said. Vranakis added that the new avatar merely looked unnatural, and that the avatars were like 2D cartoons that were forced to be 3D.
There are numerous ways to personalise your Bitmoji, including facial and physical features and clothing. Some of the clothing options include collaborations with leading brands like Calvin Klein, Nike, Off-White, The North Face, UGG and Adidas.
Nathan Taviss (12), has personalized his own Bitmoji with a Santa hat to accompany his black Adidas Sambas. However, his complaint isn’t about the clothing options. “I personally think the 3D look is very unnecessary and creepy,” he critiqued, “since the original faces don’t look realistic in the first place.”
Bitmoji is a Canadian company that began with Bitstrips before the release of Bitmoji. The creation of Bitstrips dates back to 2007 in Toronto and was founded by Jacob Blackstock, David Kennedy, Shahan Panth, Dorian Baldwin, and Jesse Brown. It began as a personalised comic strip intended for more self expression, accompanying the more limited basic emoji keyboard. Bitstrips evolved into digital stickers, which have since been recognized as Bitmoji.