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This week's discussion ties in closely with that of last week, where we discussed visual social media's growing issue of body modification through apps and procedures and the effects this has on the viewing audience. This week, we discuss more specifically social media filters and digitised dysmorphia.

(Image: Women's Health)

Western society's focus on the beauty and sex industries have long been using the female body as a commodity to sell products and bring awareness to brands (Coy-Dibley, 2016). As social media has matured, filters and editing softwares have been developed to provide users with an easily-accessible tool to modify one's body, face or any other feature.

As discussed previously, this can include not only Instagram and Snapchat's built-in filtering options, but also apps such as FaceTune, which "are designed to analyse, rate, evaluate, monitor or enhance appearance” (Elias & Gill, 2018, pp60). These filters and editing programs mask insecurities, often smoothing skin texture, thinning the face and body and altering features to the user's desire. These filters can lead to an online phenomenon known as digitised dysmorphia.

Digitised dysmorphia (coined by Coy-Dibley, 2016) helps to outline the pressure placed on women online by societal beauty standards. Filters and editing programs create beauty standards whereas users are expected to physically and aesthetically present in a specific way online. This can lead to dysmorphia in terms of users viewing themselves through the lens of these filters, and losing a true sense of their physical self. This also invites insecurities and comparison as users compare themselves to their own edited pictures and those of others. Seeing an unfiltered, unedited image of themselves may be shocking and cause great discomfort, as the "perfect" image is no longer visible.

I believe it to be so important to keep in mind just how much these filters and editing apps can effect our psyche, and try to maintain a real sense of self through avoiding these tools wherever possible. After all, true beauty comes from within.

References Coy-Dibley, I, 2016, “Digitised Dysmorphia” of the Female Body: The Re/Disfigurement of the Image", Palgrave Communications

It is human nature to compare yourself to others, whether positively or negatively and last year’s lockdown saw an increase in body comparisons between social media users. Within social media, to make a living, users must stay relevant. As the social media market becomes more and more competitive, this fear of loss of relevancy within creators has seen body modification, whether physical or digital has become more and more of a normality. 

Statistics from the American Academy of Facial and Plastic Reconstructive Surgery in 2017 found that 42 percent of surgeons reported that their patients were seeking surgery to improve their appearance on social media channels (Dorfman et al. 2017), displaying the intentions of not undertaking the surgery for personal body empowerment, rather to feel societal acceptance through followers, likes & comments.

With social media continuously growing and becoming more and more viable as a source of income through the pandemic, these numbers would see to increase as more people were stuck inside and sought social media, with “average time spent on social media has grown by 30 per cent throughout the COVID-19 crisis” (Spanos 2020). this increase would have seen users interact more frequently with social media ‘influencers’, in turn boosting revenue for creators seeking income from social media platforms. with some content creators like most of us getting a ‘covid bod’ through lack of exercise or dieting, some seeking digital body altering to maintain their social media physique. 

Although surgeries were postponed, body modification was still occurring digitally through photo editing and touch-ups. Rather than posting real, unedited photos, some creators sought to Photoshop, edit and modify their posts as a way maintain relevant. Although it can be argued that they would inherently receive less backlash and exposure from posting the original, the fear of losing relevancy and ultimately losing followers saw some users continually modify their posts to accentuate their body’s best features.

References

Dorfman, RG, Vaca, EE, Mahmood, E, Fine, NA & Schierle, CF 2017, “Plastic Surgery-Related Hashtag Utilization on Instagram: Implications for Education and Marketing,” Aesthetic Surgery Journal, vol. 38, no. 3, p. 332.

Social media is known to foster communication between people. Considered as a forum to post interesting photos of yourself/others or what you are doing/interested in, social media is not often associated with the world of politics and activism. However, with the increased use of social media and recent “advances” (Law et al 2018) in “digital communication platforms” (Law et al 2018), social media has transformed into a digital infrastructure aiding political engagement. Social media allows for the “distribution of ideas” (Law et al 2018) and “public deliberation” (Law et al 2018). Through this, social media inherently promotes the sharing of political ideas and political discussion

The unique feature of hashtags, or specifically hashtag publics further helps social media facilitate political engagement. Hashtags use specific words or abbreviations to connect or “affiliate” (Zappavigna) different posts together. Through different themes and keywords, ideas and discussions can instantly be connected. Additionally, whilst hashtags generate “ambient affiliation” (Zappavigna) between those who use them within a post, other users who merely wish to engage with the content of a specific hashtag public can search for that hashtag whereby all posts that have used it are coordinated. Hence, hashtags can help to coordinate political ideas, events and experiences and allow those interested in those ideas to engage with them. Ultimately, hashtags “aid the formation and coordination of ‘ad hoc issue publics’” (Bruns & Burgess; Rambukkana). Users of social media who wish to express a political opinion, idea or experience can use a specific hashtag whereby any experiences similar to can also be coordinated. 

Ultimately social media, whilst often considered a mundane digital infrastructure, has become a forum to promote and engage issues of politics and activism. Political engagement within “advanced democracies” (Vromen 2017, p.2) has “changed” (Vromen 2017, p.2) within the last few years. No longer do citizens solely align with “traditional, dutiful allegiances” (Vromen 2017, p.2) of politics, such as political parties and trade unions, to engage with political issues. More often, citizens are now engaging with politics in a more “individualised” (Vromen 2017, p.3) way, specifically using “everyday digitally based mechanisms” (Vromen 2017, p.3) to “engage in politics” (Vromen 2017, p.3) and “express points of view” (Vromen 2017, p.3). This is due to the connectivity and availability social media affords its users. 

Moreover, within the modern era, many people are digitally literate. They can understand how internet applications work, and can communicate effectively using different social media platforms. Hence, many generations today represent ‘digital citizens’. The concept of a digital citizen can be used to articulate how social media can be used to foster political engagement. A digital citizen is a person who has the “skills and knowledge” (Office of the eSaftey Commissioner, NSW Department of Education) to “effectively use digital technologies” (Office of the eSaftey Commissioner, NSW Department of Education). Moreover, a digital citizen uses these skills to “positively participate in society and communicate with others”  (Office of the eSaftey Commissioner, NSW Department of Education). Through using social media applications, people can effectively share their political opinions/ideas/experiences within one another. Additionally, social media can be used as a forum for political discussion, whereby different people can discuss different political events or efforts that require more attention from the public. 

Ultimately, the advances of social media coupled with its increased use and literacy means that everyday citizens can use social media to engage in politics, outside the constraints of traditional and formal political engagement. 

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