Social media filters: New face seeking and first meeting shock

Several social media platforms have offered their users different tools to enhance the pictures and videos they share online. One of these tools are the filters that improve the quality of the pictures, especially the color of the skin, the shape of the face and the brightness of the picture components. For beauty and excellence purposes, many people, especially young women, use social media filters especially on Instagram and Snapchat. These filters allow their users to see themselves in an enhanced manipulated shape, which might lead to social consequences such as the psychological attachment to the filters and the inability to post unfiltered photos or videos of themselves. Based on the body image model (BIM), this paper investigates how social media filters influence the image of oneself and the image of others. 50 semi-structured interviews were held with Egyptian young females (aged 15–35 years), who use one or more filters. A qualitative analysis of the data has shown significant social and psychological consequences brought about by filters use. These consequences can be grouped into two main categories. First, how filters' users see themselves included (anxiety about shape, lack of self-esteem/confidence, and ideal face seeking). Second, how others see filters' users included (a first meeting shock that caused by seeing them in reality for the first time and the lack of trust in filters users).