I started nine weeks ago at 119.2kg Last week, I weighed in at 112.1kg Last week, I set my weight goal at 111kg. Today, I am weighing in at 113.5 kg.

I get it, Sunday I went to a big water gun fight/street party and I drank quite a bit. Then I went to a watch party for the World Cup final and drank some more. So probably carrying a bit of water weight, as well as some of the junk I ate. However, my body fat is looking quite stellar. Measured in at 36.3% body fat today. Taking it with a grain of salt because of last week's body fat weirdness, but my measurements are going down, so I'm seeing the silver lining. I'll be on vacation next week, so I won't be doing a week 10 check-in, unless I take my scale and tape. Or unless I measure on Monday instead. I won't completely be slacking, as I'll be packing my resistance bands to stay on top of things. Week 11 is when I'll do the next check-in.

Week 11 goal: 111.2 kg

Song of the workout:

Weight: 112.3

Today's workout:

Stairmaster warm-up Dumbbell bent-over row 3x Dumbbell curl 3x Dumbbell concentration curl 2x Cable seated row 3x Lateral pulldown 2x

After injuring myself shrugging last time I did this group of exercises, I've dropped it from the routine. Back and biceps might be my least favorite day, just because the curls and concentration curls are super humbling. They feel the most stuck. I added a warmup set before the curls, which definitely helped me progress on reps, but the concentration curl still kicks my ass each time, especially my left arm.

Otherwise had one of those days when everything went right. Those days are cool.

WIP Wednesday: week #9 of crochet raven shawl 🐦‍⬛ aaand FINISHED the second panel (of three)!!! This makes 78 feathers complete to date 🥳🎉

For funsies, placed the second panel on the first for my visual planning:

Just one more smaller panel to make with 24 feathers 🎉 (and then assemble...)

Face filters, most people think of catfishing, heavy filters, changing the whole face and all that.

But today, I would like to get into a part of face filters many had not really put their minds onto…

Live Streaming Face Filters.

From what I have researched, face-filter gifting features appear to have evolved from Chinese livestreaming platforms' virtual gifting systems, which later incorporated AR-based visual effects and were subsequently adopted by global platforms such as TikTok Live (Zhang et al., 2019; Qiu & Klug, 2021).

I'm not gonna lie, it is a very smart move by them. Face filters really help in tempting gifts during livestreams. Audiences and fans love seeing streamers react when a filter suddenly appears on their face, therefore more and more people would send gifts that trigger these effects.

For example, a pair of Thai actors during a livestream.

Personally, I love seeing those interactions too. It is quite fascinating how a simple face filter gift can spark interactions between fans and actors, and even between the actors themselves. Sometimes it creates funny moments, playful teasing, or unexpected reactions that viewers end up talking about long after the livestream has ended.

The same thing can happen in group livestreams.

A random filter popping up can suddenly change the whole atmosphere of the stream. One second everyone is calmly talking, and the next thing you know they're laughing, joking around, or trying to figure out who sent the gift. It creates spontaneous moments that feel natural and entertaining.

Click on above to watch!

What makes this even more interesting is that these filters are no longer just visual effects. They have become a form of communication. When viewers send a gift that triggers a filter, they are not simply giving money to support the streamer. They are actively participating in the livestream and influencing what happens next. In a way, viewers become part of the entertainment itself rather than just passive audiences.

It is crazy how effective these face-filter virtual gifts really are. According to Horton and Wohl's concept of parasocial interaction (as cited in Lin, 2021), viewers tend to develop one-sided relationships with media personalities and often express their support through purchases and interactions. In livestreaming, sending gifts becomes one of the ways fans show their loyalty and affection towards creators.

So honestly, while face filters are often criticised for promoting unrealistic beauty standards or encouraging people to hide their real appearance, livestream face filters seem to serve a completely different purpose. They are less about changing how someone looks and more about creating engagement, interaction, and memorable moments between creators and audiences.

Pretty impressive for something that most of us once only used to put dog ears on our faces.

References:

Klug, D., & Qiu, H. S. (2021). Motivations and expectations for virtual gift-giving in Douyin live streams. AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research, 2021. https://doi.org/10.5210/spir.v2021i0.12194 

Lin, L. C. S. (2021). Virtual gift donation on live streaming apps: the moderating effect of social presence. Communication Research and Practice, 7(2), 173–188. https://doi.org/10.1080/22041451.2021.1889190 

At first, I thought it was simply good makeup, good photography skills or people being aware of their best angles. Sometimes I genuinely have no idea whether a photo has been edited, filtered or completely unedited. Everything just looks so polished nowadays ✨.

Most people think filters are just harmless little tools that make photos look nicer. Maybe they brighten the lighting, smooth your skin or add a cute effect to their story. But modern filters can do a lot more than that. Some can reshape facial features, alter skin texture, adjust face proportions and subtly change the way someone looks without most people even noticing.

Which makes me wonder...

How much of what we see online is actually a person, and how much of it is software? 👀

Instagram Filters Are More Powerful Than We Think 🎭 One thing that makes Instagram filters so interesting is that they are no longer just decorations. Many of the filters we have used today are actually "Augmented Reality (AR)" where digital effects are directly onto our faces and surroundings in real life.

A few years ago, AR filters were mostly used for fun. People would turn themselves into puppies or wear flower crowns. Even the superzoom love effect was a whole trend 😭

I swear to god... those are the OG instagram filters. Now they are much more advanced. Some AR filters can instantly smooth skin, brighten eyes, slim facial features and adjust lighting while the camera is still recording.

The changes happen so quickly that sometimes it's hard for people to believe that they are looking at a digitally enhanced version of reality. The Software Is Making Decisions For Us🤖 This is where software literacy becomes really important. It is also to know how technology influences what we observe and how we see the world around us 🌍. An AR filter automatically removes acne and softens wrinkles or changes facial proportions and the software makes decisions about what is considered attractive.

When it comes to faces, it subtly implies that one version of a face looks better than the other. Software has a significant influence on digital culture, as many of our experiences online are influenced by technological systems that work behind the scenes (Manovich, 2011). It actively influences how people create content and how audiences interpret it.

The "No Filter" Filter 😭 One of the funniest things about social media is that many filters are designed to look like there is no filter at all 😭. People use filters to create the appearance of being completely natural.

The selfie may seem completely natural, but there could be AR face tracking, smoothing of the skin, lighting adjustments and some subtle changes in the face going on at the same time. The technology becomes almost invisible, but its influence does not.

Even Celebrities Got Called Out 🔥 This is not just something that happens with influencers. Celebrities have also faced criticism when followers suspected that beauty filters or editing tools were being used on social media.

Madison Beer is an example, as she has been the centre of focus for many online discussions regarding beauty standards and photo editing. Some social media users have accused her of heavily editing photos or using beauty filters, while others argue that her appearance is simply the result of makeup and lighting. They are surprised because they believed the image was completely natural. This is a reminder of the importance people still give to being honest and genuine on the internet.

Why Digital Citizenship Matters ⚠️ The word digital citizenship is used and most people immediately think of online safety, privacy settings or avoiding cyberbullying. All that is important of course, but I think there is another side to it which people don't talk about enough. It's also a learning process of how to think critically about the information we're taking in on a daily basis. When we see a perfectly edited selfie on Instagram, we probably might pause and reflect on a few questions.

Is this image filtered?

How was this content created?

According to Scholarworks et al. (2019), digital citizenship involves developing the knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to use technology responsibly.  With so many filters that can change a person's looks within a few seconds, these skills are more important than ever before.

It is knowing how Instagram might be influencing the way we see reality. So... Can We Still Trust What We See Online? 🌙 The thing about Instagram filters is, they are not inherently bad or good ⚖️.

These are used for harmless purposes by most people. Some use them for creativity, some use them for entertainment, and others like to experiment with the different looks. There is nothing wrong with that. The issue is forgetting that the filter exists. As AR filters become more advanced, they are becoming harder to detect. The technology is meant to be invisible, meaning that digital enhancement can be confused with reality without people even realising.

Not because we need to stop using filters. One thing is for sure, technology will continue to progress no matter what. But the more we understand how these tools work, the better we become at recognising when technology is quietly influencing what we see, what we believe and sometimes even how we see ourselves 📱✨.

In our last post, we talked about the concept of body modification and how it has been extrapolated by postmodernised social media. This week, we will shift towards the topic of social media face filters, as selfies and image-sharing habits became a culture rooted into the society, traced back to the earliest history of social media.

Plus, the convergence of Augmented Reality (AR) introduces greater complexities to user experiences, on both its process and effects to an individual's mental and physical wellbeing. Just like any other technological features, augmented reality features in selfies are widely celebrated on its available platforms such as Snapchat. Social media companies exploit great revenue potential from AR especially when paired with selfies option. In this episode, we will study the history and impact of face filters as a whole.

But first, let’s uncover what the social media conglomerates don’t want you to know behind those “cute doggos” AR filters. 

Number one. They don’t want you to know that the AR filters act as sophisticated biometric data-harvesting tools (Bell, 2025). The AR filters don’t just paste a cute cartoon onto your face, they require real-time tracking to work. That’s the reason why sometimes it goes off from your face, but when you move to a certain position, the filter is then reapplied. While doing so, your face biometrics are being taken down. This includes all your micro-expressions, eye movements and the general facial features. 

Number two. The filters cause the psychology of “filter dysmorphia”. Filter dysmorphia is a modern phenomenon where individuals become fixated on altering their appearances to match the idealized, filtered versions of themselves (Leno, 2026). The companies are well aware of the psychological outcomes and urges of using face filters. They just don’t care as much. Many face filter users start by already feeling a low self esteem about their appearances. The outcome of using these face filters, with hopes to feel better, only worsens the dysmorphia, leading to increased dissatisfaction about how they look in real life. 

Number three. AR filters are often used for marketing and strategic business purposes. In some cases, you may have become some free promotional tools for the companies without you even realising. For example, you use some branded AR effects, or even general face filters, in some way or the other, it helps to construct better algorithms and engagement for targeted advertising. 

And now, let’s spin back to the general good and bad of face filters. Instagram face filters will be a good enough example to look at. 

To speak fairly, face filters exist because of the normal human desire to achieve beauty, aesthetics and perfection. Face filters result in better quality images and offer self expression to a certain extent. However, by abusing face filters, it distorts the nature of this beauty or entertainment function, thus leading to a series of side-effects and psychological harm. Isakowitsch (2023) affirms that augmented reality attacks one’s self perception because it generates facades of the users’ real self-image, and creates a more depressing situation when people find out that reality is far away from the perceived ideal projected by those face filters.

And yes, people hate themselves more behind those pretty faces shared online. An improved image representation of oneself versus fake distorted beauty projection offers a very thin line to cross. A major problem lies in the company’s algorithmic recommendation of filter use for selfie purposes, which appeals to the human emotion but is risky towards long term wellbeing.

The digital world won’t get rid of its smart-trick in offering beauty perfection. And theories explain the vulnerability of human brains in differentiating between physical reality and image representation (UCL, 2025). So what can we do? In some ways, we are bound to co-exist with some digital tools with potential to impose harm in a sociocultural aspect, though not completely, just like the selfie filters. The best way forward is perhaps sticking onto awareness, and by watching out for the “boobytraps” of “perfect beauty” exist on our social media. 

HEY BY THE WAY, DON'T FORGET THAT

Week 9: Digital Citizenship and Software literacy: Instagram Filters

References:

Bell, S. (2025, September 3). 7 Pillars Pty Ltd. 7 Pillars -. https://7pillars.com.au/blog/ar-face-filters-with-artificial-intelligence/

Isakowitsch, C. (2023). How Augmented Reality Beauty Filters Can Affect Self-perception. Communications in Computer and Information Science, 1662, 239–250. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26438-2_19

Jeffri, N. F. S., & Awang Rambli, D. R. (2021). A review of augmented reality systems and their effects on mental workload and task performance. Heliyon, 7(3), e06277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06277

UCL. (2025, June 4). Brain mechanisms that distinguish imagination from reality discovered. UCL News. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/jun/brain-mechanisms-distinguish-imagination-reality-discovered