The Impact of Filtering on Social Media

To say that social media is problematic would be quite an understatement. Whether you're on Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok, chances are you've dabbled in playing with the filters on these apps. Although filters can be fun, and sometimes they can even make us feel seen and beautiful, they're far from harmless.

More often than not, time spent on social media using these filters can do more harm than good by altering our expectations. Beauty filters on social apps are notorious for highlighting Euro-centric beauty features or even completely changing the face. It seems like every time we hop on the app we find yet another filter that turns us into completely different versions of ourselves. The result? Social media users who are dissatisfied with their own features, specifically those who identify as women.

To learn more, we tapped experts Dr. Leela R. Magavi, Dr. Josie Howard, and Dr. Francisco Tausk, who shared the full impact of filtering on social media.

Keep reading to learn six surprising — and not-so-surprising — consequences of social media filters.

Filtering Affects All Age Groups

According to The Wall Street Journal, this impact is real. In an internal document from Facebook reported on by WSJ, the social media platform revealed that it is aware of the harmful effects these apps have on women. Per the document, "32 percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse," and "among teens who reported suicidal thoughts, 13 percent of British users and 6 percent of American users traced the issue to Instagram."

However, this issue extends beyond teenagers. 

"Children and adults of all ages have confided in me and shared that they are ashamed of posting photographs of themselves without the use of filters," said Dr. Magavi. "I have assessed some teenagers, men, and women who have discussed the idea of getting plastic surgery to look more like the filtered version of themselves."

Filters Influence Plastic Surgery

The research agrees with Dr. Magavi's assessment. Studies show that social media significantly influences plastic surgery trends, and people are bringing photos of their filtered selves as their inspiration pictures.