The evolution of technology has increased so much knowledge, made things easier and has made the world one (Global Village). One of these elements is what we call today as “selfies”. A selfie is a photograph that one takes of oneself with a smartphone or a webcam and shared via social media.
The smartphones that are owned today come with different applications in order for the smart phone to function to its fullest potential. For example, Snapchat. Snapchat has various features and one of these features are filters.
Filter, in this context, refers to a software routine that changes the appearance of an image or part of an image by altering the shades and colours of the pixels in some manner. Filters are used to increase brightness and contrast as well as to add a wide variety of textures, tones and special effects to a picture.
When i mention that filters are becoming a problem, I am talking about how filters have led many young people astray to an extent of disliking how they look. Many teenagers and young adults are requesting surgery just to look like they do in filtered images or selfies.
“The phenomenon of people requesting procedures to resemble their digital image has been referred to – sometimes flippantly, sometimes as a harbinger of end times – as “Snapchat dysmorphia” (Hunt, 2019). Also known as Selfies Dysmorphia.
The rate of insecurities is rising from selfie filters. A practical example. Have you or do you have Snapchat? Have you noticed how the minor changes filters make you look “better”, skin smoother and/or lips fuller? That is affecting our young generation because now all of a sudden they do not feel as if they are good looking or beautiful enough. Prior to technology, insecurities within young people arose because of comparisons amongst themselves. It was, “I want to be like her” in most cases. However, the evolution of digitalisation has changed everything.
“In contrast to this perfect filter you all of a sudden look very, extremely, absolutely unperfect. The question is, what are we trying to correct? Our digital self or our actual self?” (Afadi, 2021). Let us look at our parents and grandparents. They never had a problem with image and beauty standards. Evolution has made us hate ourselves because of what we are exposed to. Adella Afadai said that if we continue using filters, we will rely on them and end up being dissatisfied with how we look.
The main reason for this topic is not to start an issue or to cause trouble but to be real with each other and to warn each other about these technological transitions transpiring that are influencing our lives and controlling our mental state. “55% of Surgeons reported seeing patients who request surgery to improve their appearance in selfies- up from 42% in 2015” (Source: 2017 Annual American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) survey | Global News).
The bottom line is, just because we can change stuff it does not mean that we should. Filters are causing many young people to stop seeing themselves as who they are. They have reached a point whereby they cannot post a picture or image without a filter. Could this be one of the perfection diseases we are facing as the universe?
Sources:
Adella Afadi’s YouTube video about Filters:
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