The thing is, the people who (I imagine) would enable this feature are already using the icon to identify you. It doesn't matter how much you want the icon only to be used as metadata and communication, and that you don't want be thought of as 'the user with the faded-polka-dot-slogan icon', the fact is that when you comment, a non-zero portion of the people reading think, "Oh, a new comment from 'faded-polka-dot-slogan icon' person", rather than "Oh, a new comment from sorchasilver".
I'm trying to say that this is not a new thing, it's trying to make things a bit easier for those of us whose brains work in this way (actually, it's an attempt at compromise between those people and users such as yourself, but anyway).
If the feature were introduced, I reckon people with it enabled (for this reason) would get more communication from different icon use than before. If the feature were enabled and you used an icon to convey a message, I'd see your default with a big honking sign on it saying YO, DIFFERENT ICON!!! and I'd be curious and click to see which icon you had used. Without the feature, there's an evens chance that I wouldn't realise you had made the comment at all.
no subject
I'm trying to say that this is not a new thing, it's trying to make things a bit easier for those of us whose brains work in this way (actually, it's an attempt at compromise between those people and users such as yourself, but anyway).
If the feature were introduced, I reckon people with it enabled (for this reason) would get more communication from different icon use than before. If the feature were enabled and you used an icon to convey a message, I'd see your default with a big honking sign on it saying YO, DIFFERENT ICON!!! and I'd be curious and click to see which icon you had used. Without the feature, there's an evens chance that I wouldn't realise you had made the comment at all.