Photo: Moment RF
While I don't edit my photos, I almost always use a filter. It's hard not to when the second you snap a picture, an array of filters pop right up on my phone.
Lots of people use filters and edit photos to enhance their appearance, but there’s a downside to all those modifications to faces and bodies.
A new survey reveals the negative impact the filters have on social media users’ self-esteem.
A survey by Uvence, a cosmetic procedure clinic in the U.K., asked more than 2-thousand people how they feel about filters on social media. According to the poll:
- 20% say they won’t post photos on social media without editing them
- 37% like their filtered face better than their real face
- About a third (30%) admit that using filters has had a negative impact on their self-esteem
- 38% say the reason they use filters so much is to improve their skin texture
- And the worst part? Nearly a quarter (23%) of those surveyed say using filters has warped their perception of what they look like so much that it shocks them when they see unedited photos of their face.
Wanting to enhance your own appearance is a personal choice, but using filters on selfies doesn’t always get you more likes. In fact, a study from 2020 finds that using photo filters actually led to fewer likes compared to unfiltered images. Study authors say excessive use of filters and trying to only show your positive side makes people less interested in clicking like or commenting.
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