Because the forum is not flashy will be a reason why some people will be discouraged from being in the forum because they are used to the flashy platforms. The flashier a platform is, the more internet requirements it will require and more of a distraction it will become.
The graphics of this forum is naturally disappointing to everyone that came from the social media background. But when they stay longer here, they become used to the interface.
Imagine we had profile pictures on our profiles here in the forum, many people would be distracted from the purpose of learning which the forum is meant for and turn it into another social networking platform. The forum is different from other platforms and you see it clearly as soon as you log in.
I do not think that the reason we use avatars instead of profile pictures is because of distractions. When this forum was newly created, profile pictures were used and learning, conversations and contributions were topnotch. The reason for profile picture deactivation should be more related to privacy.
