1) Social media fuels an obsession with perfection as users selectively portray idealized versions of their lives through curated photos and heavy filters that distort reality. 2) Photo-editing apps make it easy to artificially enhance physical appearance, intensifying unrealistic beauty standards and body image pressures. 3) Constantly comparing curated social media profiles can damage mental health and self-esteem, triggering feelings of envy, inadequacy, and fueling unhealthy behaviors like excessive plastic surgery among teens.

1. Photo by Karina Carval (Uplash)
SPARKAN OBSESSION FOR PERFECTION
PHOTOSHOP APPS
A FLIPBOOK BY EMMA HERRON

2. Photo by Mink Mingle (Uplash)
Naturally, we choose to present the BEST version of ourselves
on social media.
ARE WE ALL KIND OF LYING?

3. Photo by Bruno Nascimento (Uplash)
What you see on social media is a
heavily FILTERED version of
reality.
A DISTORTED REALITY
Most of us
claim not to
intentionally be
LYING; We are
simply overly
SELECTIVE of
the images we
choose to
portray our
lives.[6]

4. Photo by Jordon Mcqueen (Uplash)
Two-thirds of people surveyed in a 2015 HTC research study admitted to posting images
to their social media to make their lives appear more exciting than they actually are.
WELCOME TO MY FUN-FILLED LIFE
[6]

5. Photo by David Yurun (Uplash)
Over 50% of survey respondents claimed to
specifically post pictures with the
INTENTION of making their friends and
followers JEALOUS.
ALTERING PERCEPTION
[6]

6. Photo by Greg Raines (Uplash)
Feeling compelled to portray the
AN UNHEALTHY OBESSION
“My Fun-Filled Life"
version of reality can come at a severe psychological cost.[5]

7. Photo by Jayce Williams (Uplash)
Research shows that passive use of
social media may be particularly bad
for teen mental health.
"Facebook Stalking"
The practice of quietly observing other
people's social media profiles and pictures.
[3]
[8]

8. Photosource: Uplash, by
Jonathan Bean
Photo by David Marcu (Uplash)
Studies show
"FOMO“ : Fear of Missing Out
This can lead to envy and resentment an provokes/intensifies a
negative emotional experience known as "FOMO“.[1]

9. Photo by Brooke Cagle (Uplash)
AM I GOOD ENOUGH?
• Unhealthy self-
scrutiny of body
image, physical
appearance and
general lifestyle
• Questioning of
value to others
• Self-doubt and
self-loathing
Young people receiving too few
likes or comments on
photos causes:
[1]

10. Photo by Josh Rose (Uplash)
In psychology, this is known as searching for
external validation.
It is also known as
“Fishing for Likes."[3]

11. Photo by Jonathan Bean (Uplash)
Girls Are Taking Drastic Measures To Achieve the Perfect
Instagram Snap
Instagram has catalyzed an unhealthy obsession for perfection. The rise of
simple-to-use photo-editing apps such as “FaceTune” increase the pressure
to make our best selves EVEN BETTER.[7]

12. Photo by Sara Kauten (Uplash)
Photographs on social media are so warped in today’s society. No one can tell
what is real and what is fake. Photoshopped lip fillers and nose jobs are setting
the new standards of beauty.
‘REAL’ PEOPLE
[7]

13. Photo by Thom (Uplash)
TOP 10 PHOTOSHOP APPS
1. FACETUNE
2. PIXTR
3. PERFECT365
4. PHOTO MAKEOVER
5. MODIFACE PHOTO EDITOR
6. BEAUTY BOOTH PRO
7. VISAGE LAB
8. BEAUTY CAMERA
9. PICBEAUTY
10. PIMPLE REMOVER PHOTO RETOUCH [2]

14. Photo by Priscilla (Uplash)
A CONSTANT scroll of DIGITALLY ALTERED
body parts: plumped-up lips, thigh gaps, cinched
waists, flawless skin, enhanced eyes.
INSTAGRAM’S NEW REALITY
[4]

15. Photo by Jennifer Burk (Uplash)
• Flawless skin
• Gleaming teeth
• Standout eyes
• Plumped lips
• Cinched waist
• Thigh Gap
THE RISE OF AN
UNATTAINABLE
BEAUTY
STANDARD
With a few taps, you can achieve:

16. Photo by Christian Gertenbach (Uplash)
OBSESSION
This obsessiveness with
appearance can lead
teens to a desire to
actually change their
appearance in real life
through plastic
surgery or getting
perceived flaws, such as
freckles and spot marks,
removed. [7]

17. In 2014, more than 160,000 teens ages 13 to 19 had cosmetic
minimally invasive procedures, such as chemical peels,
injectables and laser skin resurfacing. More than 63,000 teens
had surgical procedures, such as nose reshaping or breast
augmentation.
Photo by Brian Perra (Flickr)
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons
[7]

18. Photo by Anna Sastre (Uplash)
A social media phenomenon in which people went to
dangerous measures to temporarily inflate their own lips
using a shot glass as a suctioning device to imitate one of the
most followed and most influential augmented faces on
Instagram:
#KylieJennerChallenge
Kylie Jenner
Kylie’s televised admission to having lip injections triggered a RECORD UPTICK
in the popularity of Google searches globally for LIP FILLERS.[7]

19. Photo by Naomi August (Uplash)
Perfection is a constantly
moving target.
Everyone who’s erased one perceived flaw and immediately moved on to obsessing about
the next knows it’s anyone’s guess what body part social media will make us fixate on next.[7]

20. Photo by mkhmarketing (Flickr)
What can be done to mitigate the harmful effects of
photoshop app use across social media platforms?

21. Photo by Ian Schneider (Uplash)
1
2
3
Raise awareness of its potentially damaging effects so
people can make informed choices.
Adults can start positive discussions with youth about
self-acceptance, noting the dangers of social comparison
and approval-seeking.
A literal unplugging, with modems or devices switched off
during certain periods of time.[8]

22. Photo by Ian Schneider (Uplash)
Always keep in mind: The best photo of all is
one where you look like yourself.

23. Photo by Alexsandar Radovanovic (Uplash)
References
[1] Benbasat, I., Buxmann, P., Krasnova, Wenninger, H., H., Widjaja, T. (2015) Research Note—Why Following Friends Can Hurt You: An
Exploratory Investigation of the Effects of Envy on Social Networking Sites among College-Age Users. Retrieved from .
Information Systems Research: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/isre.2015.0588
[2] Chowdhry, A. (2016, October 22). 20 Of The Best Photo Editing Apps For Mobile Devices. Retrieved from Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/amitchowdhry/2016/10/22/best-photo-editing-apps/#22754456c738
[3] Cleland-Woods, H. and Scott, H. (2016, June 10). Social media use in adolescence is associated with poor sleep quality, anxiety,
depression and low self-esteem. Retrieved from Science Direct:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140197116300343
[4] Djoukoue, A. (2012, June 29). Keep it real challenge: Photoshop’s impact on body image. Retrieved from University of Missouri -
Kansas City : http://info.umkc.edu/womenc/2012/06/29/keep-it-real-challenge-photoshops-impact-on-body-image/
[5] Edge, N. and Hui-Tzu, G. (2012, February, 15). “They Are Happier and Having Better Lives than I Am”: The Impact of Using Facebook
on Perceptions of Others' Lives. Retrieved from Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking:
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2011.0324
[6] Howard, H. (2015, October 16). Survey Says We're All Kind of Lying on Social Media. Retrieved from Teen Vogue:
http://www.teenvogue.com/story/social-media-lying
[7] Schaefer, K. (2015, October 20). Girls Are Taking Drastic Measures To Achieve the Perfect Instagram Snap. Retrieved from Teen Vogue
: http://www.teenvogue.com/story/photo-editing-apps-damage-self-esteem
[8] Whitley, R. (2016, September 14). Here's Why Social Media Harms Your Teen's Mental Health. Retrieved from Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/robertwhitley/social-media-mental-health_b_11893462.html