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I'd have to agree with Oddguy...all the little bells and whistles are nice, but not that essential. I don't think I'd really miss 'em.
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They are essential in identifying us the way we wish to be identified. Just something to give us more character, more life.
It's a psychological issue, when we strip it down to its bare bones, for instance:
Right now I don't feel like I'm talking to people, I feel like I'm talking to labeled forum content entities - but if we all had our own custom title to identify ourselves with, it would humanize the situation, and thus make us all alot more empathetic.
If I threw a remark at you, Mac, I wouldn't feel too bad about myself afterwards. But if I could see a considerable amount of evidence in front of me, that you are a breathing, thinking, feeling human being, then I would think twice about what I would say to you. Same goes for anyone else.
Photos in avatars don't seem to have the same effect, same goes for signitures. But custom titles and stars have this certain 'something' about them. It's identification on a whole different level. A person gets a custom title so rarely, that they only get something put there if it is really heartfelt, or honest, and something that really means something to us.