Photo by Karina Carval (Uplash)

SPARKAN OBSESSION FOR PERFECTION

PHOTOSHOP APPS

A FLIPBOOK BY EMMA HERRON

Photo by Mink Mingle (Uplash)

Naturally, we choose to present the BEST version of ourselves on social media.

ARE WE ALL KIND OF LYING?

Photo by Bruno Nascimento (Uplash)

What you see on social media is a

heavily FILTERED version of

reality.

A DISTORTED REALITY

Most of us claim not to intentionally be LYING; We are simply overly SELECTIVE of the images we choose to portray our lives. [6]

Photo by Jordon Mcqueen (Uplash)

Two-thirds of people surveyed in a 2015 HTC research study admitted to posting images

to their social media to make their lives appear more exciting than they actually are.

WELCOME TO MY FUN-FILLED LIFE

[6]

Photo by David Yurun (Uplash)

Over 50% of survey respondents claimed to

specifically post pictures with the

INTENTION of making their friends and

followers JEALOUS.

ALTERING PERCEPTION

[6]

Photo by Greg Raines (Uplash)

Feeling compelled to portray the

AN UNHEALTHY OBESSION

“My Fun-Filled Life"

version of reality can come at a severe psychological cost. [5]

Photo by Jayce Williams (Uplash)

Research shows that passive use of social media may be particularly bad for teen mental health.

"Facebook Stalking"The practice of quietly observing other people's social media profiles and pictures.

[3]

[8]

Photosource: Uplash, by Jonathan Bean

Photo by David Marcu (Uplash)

Studies show

"FOMO“ : Fear of Missing Out

This can lead to envy and resentment an provokes/intensifies a negative emotional experience known as "FOMO“. [1]

Photo by Brooke Cagle (Uplash)

AM I GOOD ENOUGH?

• Unhealthy self-scrutiny of body image, physical appearance and general lifestyle

• Questioning of value to others

• Self-doubt and self-loathing

Young people receiving too fewlikes or comments on photos causes:

[1]

Photo by Josh Rose (Uplash)

In psychology, this is known as searching for

external validation.

It is also known as

“Fishing for Likes."[3]

Photo by Jonathan Bean (Uplash)

Girls Are Taking Drastic Measures To Achieve the Perfect

Instagram Snap

Instagram has catalyzed an unhealthy obsession for perfection. The rise of

simple-to-use photo-editing apps such as “FaceTune” increase the pressure

to make our best selves EVEN BETTER. [7]

Photo by Sara Kauten (Uplash)

Photographs on social media are so warped in today’s society. No one can tell

what is real and what is fake. Photoshopped lip fillers and nose jobs are setting

the new standards of beauty.

‘REAL’ PEOPLE

[7]

Photo by Thom (Uplash)

TOP 10 PHOTOSHOP APPS

1. FACETUNE

2. PIXTR

3. PERFECT365

4. PHOTO MAKEOVER

5. MODIFACE PHOTO EDITOR

6. BEAUTY BOOTH PRO

7. VISAGE LAB

8. BEAUTY CAMERA

9. PICBEAUTY

10. PIMPLE REMOVER PHOTO RETOUCH [2]

Photo by Priscilla (Uplash)

A CONSTANT scroll of DIGITALLY ALTEREDbody parts: plumped-up lips, thigh gaps, cinched waists, flawless skin, enhanced eyes.

INSTAGRAM’S NEW REALITY

[4]

Photo by Jennifer Burk (Uplash)

• Flawless skin• Gleaming teeth• Standout eyes • Plumped lips • Cinched waist• Thigh Gap

THE RISE OF AN UNATTAINABLEBEAUTY STANDARD

With a few taps, you can achieve:

Photo by Christian Gertenbach (Uplash)

OBSESSIONThis obsessiveness with appearance can lead teens to a desire to

actually change their

appearance in real life

through plastic surgery or getting

perceived flaws, such as freckles and spot marks, removed. [7]

In 2014, more than 160,000 teens ages 13 to 19 had cosmetic minimally invasive procedures, such as chemical peels, injectables and laser skin resurfacing. More than 63,000 teens had surgical procedures, such as nose reshaping or breast augmentation.

Photo by Brian Perra (Flickr)

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons

[7]

Photo by Anna Sastre (Uplash)

A social media phenomenon in which people went to

dangerous measures to temporarily inflate their own lips

using a shot glass as a suctioning device to imitate one of the

most followed and most influential augmented faces on

Instagram:

#KylieJennerChallenge

Kylie Jenner

Kylie’s televised admission to having lip injections triggered a RECORD UPTICK

in the popularity of Google searches globally for LIP FILLERS. [7]

Photo by Naomi August (Uplash)

Perfection is a constantlymoving target.

Everyone who’s erased one perceived flaw and immediately moved on to obsessing aboutthe next knows it’s anyone’s guess what body part social media will make us fixate on next. [7]

Photo by mkhmarketing (Flickr)

What can be done to mitigate the harmful effects of photoshop app use across social media platforms?

Photo by Ian Schneider (Uplash)

1

2

3

Raise awareness of its potentially damaging effects so people can make informed choices.

Adults can start positive discussions with youth about self-acceptance, noting the dangers of social comparison and approval-seeking.

A literal unplugging, with modems or devices switched off during certain periods of time. [8]

Photo by Ian Schneider (Uplash)

Always keep in mind: The best photo of all is one where you look like yourself.

Photo by Alexsandar Radovanovic (Uplash)

References

[1] Benbasat, I., Buxmann, P., Krasnova, Wenninger, H., H., Widjaja, T. (2015) Research Note—Why Following Friends Can Hurt You: An Exploratory Investigation of the Effects of Envy on Social Networking Sites among College-Age Users. Retrieved from . Information Systems Research: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/isre.2015.0588

[2] Chowdhry, A. (2016, October 22). 20 Of The Best Photo Editing Apps For Mobile Devices. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2016/10/22/best-photo-editing-apps/#22754456c738

[3] Cleland-Woods, H. and Scott, H. (2016, June 10). Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Retrieved from Science Direct: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140197116300343

[4] Djoukoue, A. (2012, June 29). Keep it real challenge: Photoshop’s impact on body image. Retrieved from University of Missouri -Kansas City : http://info.umkc.edu/womenc/2012/06/29/keep-it-real-challenge-photoshops-impact-on-body-image/

[5] Edge, N. and Hui-Tzu, G. (2012, February, 15). “They Are Happier and Having Better Lives than I Am”: The Impact of Using Facebook on Perceptions of Others' Lives. Retrieved from Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2011.0324

[6] Howard, H. (2015, October 16). Survey Says We're All Kind of Lying on Social Media. Retrieved from Teen Vogue: http://www.teenvogue.com/story/social-media-lying

[7] Schaefer, K. (2015, October 20). Girls Are Taking Drastic Measures To Achieve the Perfect Instagram Snap. Retrieved from Teen Vogue : http://www.teenvogue.com/story/photo-editing-apps-damage-self-esteem

[8] Whitley, R. (2016, September 14). Here's Why Social Media Harms Your Teen's Mental Health. Retrieved from Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/robertwhitley/social-media-mental-health_b_11893462.html