How often should you change your profile picture?

[Q]

I find changing your profile picture or taking a selfie too often is irritating. I usually change mine every few weeks or so (if it's a good picture). They're high quality pictures.

What do you think of people who change their profile pictures often?
What is a good time frame for when a person should change their profile picture?
What do you think of photoshoots or pictures purposefully taken for a profile picture?
What do you think of people changing their profile picture to an older one (like, one or two profile pictures ago). Do you consider that annoying?

I'm taking this poll for a psychology project about how Facebook and other social media affect self-esteem, etc.

[Gorge]

GRANNNY PHILI HERE YOUNG ONE, I THINK YOU JUST SHOULD CHANGE YOUR PROFILE PICTURE TO A DASHING PRINCE, AKA YOU BECAUSE I KNOW MY GRANDSON IS A GREAT PRINCE AND ONE DAY WILL BE A GREAT HERO

[fhotoace]

Most of my friends post one profile photo and leave it at that.

Any additional photos of them out doing things are posted along with the description of the event or adventure

[Kevin]

I feel like people think too much on the Facebook profile picture. Its like people seem to have an obligation to show people an updated picture of themselves. I think nothing much of people who change theirs often. I know they care too much about little things but thats fine if they want to spend their time worrying about those things. I feel like when life brings big change, sure change your profile picture. If someone changes their picture to an older one, it makes me feel like they are trying to re-live the past, or they miss that time period. It can seem sort of sad, but maybe that is just my mindset when viewing it.

Good luck with the class!

[Ara57]

I have had the same FB profile pic for a long time. (Years) It is an abstract and not a self portrait. I changed my Y!A picture over a year ago. It is also not a self portrait, but I wish I was that pretty!
In general, I think people who take a lot of self-portrait snaps are a little bored or vain or both. I kinda doubt that many people over the age of 20 think very often about the FB profile picture unless they're looking for a date. But whatever floats the boat, I say.

[Nomi]

This is interesting.

I do not think just one thing about all people who change their profile pictures often because people do it for different reasons and you can often sense the reasons. Some people are obviously just having fun putting up lots of new profile pictures; other people do it in a way that shows a kind of vanity that is off-putting.

I don't feel like there is one good time frame for when a person should change their profile picture. It doesn't really bother me when someone has the same one for a very long time. It's more likely to bother me when they change them frequently, but, like I said above, not necessarily. Also, if it's a kid (under 18, say), then it's different too. Teenagers get a pass on being preoccupied with how they look. An older person who is clearly preoccupied with how they look can be a turn off. Of course, most of us are thinking about how we look. That's normal. But when it gets to the point where it's really obvious, it gets icky.

A photo shoot taken specifically for a profile picture, unless it's for some professional reason, seems excessive and vain. But, if you had a portrait done anyway, and you like it and want to use it as a profile picture, I think that's fine.

It doesn't usually bother me when people go back to an older profile picture. It can be a little sad if someone who's getting older, a woman, particularly, keeps returning to a much younger photo where they must think they looked more attractive. You can get away with a much younger photo once in a while, but somehow it's always obvious when the person believes they were hotter in the older picture. That is normal too, to wish you were younger looking after a certain age. It's a question of it bothering you so much that you reveal that discomfort when you don't really mean to.

Hope this helps.