Today’s society places a very high value on how good you look, and it has created ideal types of “looking good” that many set out to achieve. Social media has created a platform where likes and followers reward those who adhere to its standards of beauty – and the more, the better.
It has created a culture of competition and seeking perfection that many have come to be addicted to and can not live without. Every passing second, someone is embracing their technologically given prowess to manipulate their photos and hide their insecurities by the click of a button and seek to create the perfect image that is share-worthy’.
People engage in photo filtering because of the need to belong and fit in a particular group. Young adults spend time on Instagram checking what other people are posting, the number of likes and comments they are receiving, and they make sure there is no trending news they are missing out on.
Once updated, it is then easier to engage and copy what others are doing and be part of the crowd. Photo filtering enables one to create the perfect image and perpetuate a homogenized expression of beauty that is trending. The ideal photo thus brings about appreciation and comments from online peers, and such is deemed essential, especially from the opposite sex.
Your assurance of beauty should always come from how you perceive yourself and not from anyone else. But this is rather not the case with social media platforms like Instagram. People engage in filtering their photos to enhance their beauty and remove all blemishes. This may come as a result of low self-esteem whereby one is not genuinely confident of their appearance.
The filter will thus make them look more attractive, which in turn may also lead to more likes and comments which may be a way of boosting the already ailing self-esteem. Such dependence on other people’s opinions can be regarded as poisonous. Is it not better to accept yourself with all your flaws?
Reality is usually the opposite of what people want it to be so to escape harsh realities; photo editing comes to the rescue. You can create a happy facade utilizing editing and filtering photos, and people will mostly get the idea that you are living your best happy life.
And to the many who are not ready to embrace the changes that come with age, filters offer a ready solution. But at the end of the day why deal with such pressure of pleasing an audience you hardly know, it’s your life and your choices, and you have every right to do as you please.
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