identity on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
In an interview with USA Today, Dr. S. Shyam Sundar said, “I think in general, people with low self-esteem tend to be more concerned about their image on any media and they more carefully craft it in order to project their best identity.” Sundar, who serves as the co-director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory at Penn State also said, “But I think [selfies are] not driven by insecurities, but about keeping their self-identities alive and distinct.”
Other studies have also pointed out that despite popular perceptions connecting selfie culture to high self-esteem and positive body image, Snapchat’s “beauty” filters actually create an environment where the only images that many users deem “worthy” of posting are put through a curated lens.
Given that the social media face filters are intuitive and don’t allow the user to control how much their face is altered, the sense of customization is greatly diminished. While big tech app founders may have some responsibility for developing filters that accommodate different images of beauty and give the user more control, hopefully users will exert their own power to love themselves despite what their phones tell them.