Snapchat’s Bitmoji avatars are customizable cartoon representations of yourself that you can use in Snapchat and other apps. One of the most common Bitmoji you’ll see in Snapchat is the avatar wearing headphones. This seemingly small detail actually has some significant reasons behind it related to Snapchat’s features and the app’s design.
In the following article, we’ll explore the key reasons why Snapchat shows Bitmoji with headphones, including factors like:
- Encouraging voice and video calling
- Promoting music sharing and listening
- Reflecting usage behavior
- Supporting augmented reality
- Enhancing personalization
Understanding why Snapchat uses headphone-wearing Bitmoji can provide insight into how the app is engineered to guide user behavior and engagement.
Encouraging Voice and Video Calling
One of the main reasons why Snapchat shows Bitmoji wearing headphones is to encourage the use of voice and video calling through the app.
Snapchat has two one-on-one calling features: Chat calls for voice conversations, and Video chats for face-to-face video calls. Bitmoji with headphones provide a visual cue to remind users about these communication options.
Showing headphones on Bitmoji essentially markets the calling features and prompts users to try them out. The headphones depict the Bitmoji actively using speaking/listening devices, just like how users would use headphones for a Snapchat call.
This relates to Snapchat’s overall strategy to get users to interact in more personal, conversational ways through ephemeral messaging and multimedia communication.
Growth of Snapchat Calling Features
Snapchat only recently introduced voice and video calling capabilities in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
Prior to this, Snapchat was predominantly used for sending photos, videos, and texts. The calling features represent Snapchat expanding the app into more real-time, interactive social networking.
Showing Bitmoji with headphones helps acclimate users to the new communication abilities and the evolution of Snapchat into a multimodal platform.
Making Calling More Approachable
In addition to simply raising awareness of voice and video calling, showing headphones on Bitmoji makes the calling features feel more friendly and approachable.
The bubbly, cute Bitmoji design wearing headphones gives a fun, casual vibe. This makes the calling functions seem less intimidating to use, especially for younger demographics on Snapchat.
The Bitmoji headphones help convey that voice and video calls can be low-pressure, enjoyable ways to connect with friends on Snapchat.
Promoting Music Sharing and Listening
Another major reason for headphone-adorned Bitmoji is to promote music sharing and listening on Snapchat.
In November 2021, Snapchat launched a feature called Sounds, which lets users add licensed music from established artists to their Snaps and Stories.
Showing Bitmoji with headphones is a way to visually reinforce Sounds as a key part of Snapchat. The headphones depict listening to music and directly tie into Sounds’ music sharing capabilities.
Sounds Usage Statistics
Since launching Sounds, music has become hugely popular on Snapchat:
- Over 224 million Snapchat users engage with Sounds each month
- Sounds are used to create over 739,000 Snaps per minute
- Over 5.2 billion Snaps with Sounds are created daily
Snapchat has an incentive to continue growing these metrics through cues like headphone Bitmoji. Sounds represents a new revenue stream through licensing fees paid by music companies.
Tapping Into Music Culture
Sounds also allows Snapchat to tap deeper into music-driven youth culture.
Adding popular songs makes Snaps more appealing and entertaining to share. This boosts time spent in the app and overall engagement.
Again, the headphones visually tie Bitmoji avatars into this musical experience, priming users to link Snapchat as a destination for music discovery and sharing.
Reflecting Usage Behavior
On a basic level, Bitmoji with headphones mirror how many users actually engage with Snapchat.
Part of Snapchat’s appeal lies in its ability to be used flexibly in many different situations. For example, Snapchatting while commuting, traveling, walking, etc.
In these contexts, it’s very common for people to use headphones with their mobile devices.
Depicting Bitmoji wearing headphones accurately reflects these real-world usage behaviors. It shows Snapchat understands its community and the environments where the app is actively used.
Usage Statistics
According to Snapchat statistics, active Snapchat users under age 25 spend an average of over 40 minutes on Snapchat every day.
Many of these minutes are likely accumulated in situations where users are wearing headphones, whether commuting, exercising, doing chores, etc.
This daily usage directly aligns with Bitmoji wearing headphones as a way to represent typical behavior.
Resonating Through Recognition
Seeing Bitmoji immersed in relatable, recognizable activities like listening to headphones fosters connection and engagement.
The familiar headphone-wearing avatar resonates as a reflection of real life. This makes Snapchat seem more appealing and essential, driving more habitual use.
Essentially, Bitmoji with headphones succeed by mimicking and validating how people already enjoy using Snapchat. The continuity between in-app avatars and out-of-app behavior strengthens Snapchat’s role in users’ lives.
Supporting Augmented Reality
Snapchat’s augmented reality (AR) experiences are also reinforced by Bitmoji wearing headphones.
AR Lenses are digital overlays powered by Snapchat’s advanced camera technology. They allow users to engage with fun, imaginary scenarios using their camera viewfinder.
Some popular examples include virtual makeup, accessories, masks, backgrounds, and more. Bitmoji avatars factor into AR Lenses as well.
Bitmoji AR Lenses
Certain AR Lenses incorporate users’ personalized Bitmoji. This makes the Lenses more interesting, creative, and tailored to each user.
Having Bitmoji wear headphones helps users visualize how their avatar would appear in headphone-related AR Lenses.
The consistency between the avatar in AR environments and the avatar shown without AR establishes continuity. This makes Bitmoji feel like a more cohesive, immersive representation of the user.
Audio Cues
In some AR Lenses, headphones provide useful audio cues that enhance the experience.
For example, a headphone-wearing Bitmoji could dance along to a song playing faintly in the AR scenario. The music originates logically from the depicted headphones.
Similarly, headphones reinforce the illusion of listening to instructions or sounds related to the AR Lens scenario.
Overall, seeing Bitmoji with headphones primes users to better engage with AR by establishing expectations around possible audio components.
Enhancing Personalization
On the whole, Bitmoji wearing headphones contribute to Snapchat’s emphasis on personalization and customization.
A major appeal of Bitmoji is the ability to extensively customize your avatar to look just like you. Users can select accurate hair, eye color, skin tone, accessories, and more.
Customizing Headphones
The headphones themselves are one of many items that can be customized on Bitmoji.
Users can pick between over a dozen different headphone styles and colors. This level of personalization extends Snapchat’s Bitmoji investment into finer details.
It shows that seemingly small accessorizing choices help users feel greater individual connection with their avatar.
Representation and Identity
Ultimately, the headphone personalization reflects Snapchat’s understanding of avatars as pivotal representations of identity.
Bitmoji serve as digital projections of users onto the platform. The more accuracy and specificity, the stronger this self-representation becomes.
Headphones may seem trivial, but they’re one piece that constructs the user’s overall Bitmoji presence. This guides the user experience by making identity and customization paramount.
Conclusion
Snapchat’s use of headphone-wearing Bitmoji stems from multiple important functions. The reasons explored include:
- Promoting voice and video calls
- Encouraging music sharing
- Mirroring real usage behavior
- Supporting augmented reality
- Enhancing personalization
Together, these purposes show how small details in platform design can significantly influence user engagement. For Snapchat, the humble headphones displayed on Bitmoji avatars represent carefully considered decisions to shape the app experience from login to logout.
Going forward, Snapchat will likely continue expanding its Bitmoji integrations and utility. As the app evolves, even minor stylistic choices like headphones reveal deeper strategic thinking behind engaging and retaining an active user base.
While Bitmoji headphones may seem insignificant at first glance, they exemplify the meticulous engineering powering one of the world’s most popular mobile apps. Ultimately, Snapchat demonstrates that even the smallest design choices matter when building digital places and experiences.