Filters are appearance-altering digital image effects often used on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social me ...

. They initially simulated the effects of camera filters, and they have since developed with

facial recognition Facial recognition or face recognition may refer to: * Face detection, often a step done before facial recognition * Face perception, the process by which the human brain understands and interprets the face * Pareidolia, which involves, in part, se ...

technology and computer-generated

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory Modality (human–computer interaction), modalities, including visual, Hearing, auditory, hap ...

. Social media filters—especially

beauty filters A beauty filter is a filter applied to still photographs, or to video in real time, to enhance the physical attractiveness of the subject. Typical effects of such filters include smoothing skin texture and modifying the proportions of facial fe ...

—are often used to alter the appearance of

selfies A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such as Fac ...

taken on

smartphones A smartphone is a Mobile device, portable computer device that combines Mobile phone, mobile telephone and Mobile computing, computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities ...

or other similar devices.

History

In 2010, Apple introduced the

iPhone 4 The iPhone 4 is a smartphone that was designed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is the fourth generation of the iPhone lineup, succeeding the iPhone 3GS and preceding the 4S. Following a number of notable leaks, the iPhone 4 was first unve ...

—the first iPhone model with a front camera. It gave rise to a dramatic increase in

, which could be touched up with more flattering lighting effects with applications such as

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

. The American photographer Cole Rise was involved in the creation of the original filters for Instagram around 2010, designing several of them himself, including Sierra, Mayfair, Sutro, Amaro and Willow. In September, 2011, the Instagram 2.0 update for the application introduced "live filters," which allowed the user to preview the effect of the filter while shooting with the application's camera. #NoFilter, a

hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag that is prefaced by the hash (also known as pound or octothorpe) sign, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services such as Twitter or Instagram as a form of user-generated ...

label to describe an image that had not been filtered, became popular around 2013. An update in 2014 allowed users to adjust the intensity of the filters as well as fine-tune other aspects of the image, features that had been available for years on applications such as

VSCO VSCO (), formerly known as VSCO Cam, is a photography mobile app for iOS and Android devices. The app was created by Joel Flory and Greg Lutze. The VSCO app allows users to capture photos in the app and edit them, using preset filters and editin ...

and Litely. In 2014,

Snapchat Snapchat is an American multimedia instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before th ...

started releasing sponsored filters to

monetize Monetization ( also spelled monetisation) is, broadly speaking, the process of converting something into money. The term has a broad range of uses. In banking, the term refers to the process of converting or establishing something into legal tend ...

the participatory use of the application. In September 2015, Snapchat acquired Looksery and released a feature called "lenses," animated filters using

technology. Some of the early lenses available on Snapchat at the time were Heart Eyes, Terminator, Puke Rainbows, Old, Scary, Rage Face, Heart Avalanche. The

Coachella filter The Coachella filter was an augmented reality social media camera filter released April 2016 that superimposed a flower crown on the user's head and brightened the complexion of the user's skin. The filter appeared on the Snapchat photo messaging ...

released April 2016 was a popular early

filter.

Studies

A study from

Yahoo! Labs Yahoo! Labs served as Yahoo!'s research arm, aiming to develop research in technologies to be used within the company. Yahoo! Labs includes approximately 200 research scientists and engineers. Yahoo! Labs is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA; it ...

and the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

found that filtered photos outperform unfiltered photos in terms of engagement on social media, with a 21% higher chance of being viewed and a 45% higher chance of generating a comment. In 2020, it was reported that 600 million people monthly were using augmented reality filters on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

, while 76% of Snapchat users were using them daily.

Reception

It has been noted that

on social media tend to highlight

Eurocentric Eurocentrism (also Eurocentricity or Western-centrism) is a worldview that is centered on Western civilization or a biased view that favors it over non-Western civilizations. The exact scope of Eurocentrism varies from the entire Western wo ...

features, like lighter eyes, a smaller nose, and flushed cheeks. These filters have been documented as contributing to social media users' feelings of body image insecurity, sometimes called "filter dysmorphia." This trend has led some to seek plastic surgery to make themselves look how they appear in social media filters.{{cite web , last1=Tolentino , first1=Jia , title=The Age of Instagram Face , url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/decade-in-review/the-age-of-instagram-face , website=The New Yorker , publisher=Conde Nast , access-date=10 February 2023

References

Social media Digital photography Selfies Augmented reality Facial recognition software Popular culture Internet culture