- Written by Dave Gordon and Will Smail
- business reporter
The issue of photo manipulation on social media has long been a concern for many, but now that this technology is increasingly spreading to videos, should authorities intervene?
Krystle Berger insists that she “doesn’t drastically change who she is” when posting photos and videos on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. “I’m really just digitally giving myself the perfect makeup and lighting,” she says.
Berger, a young mother from Indiana, USA, pays for a subscription to an app called FaceTune, which has been downloaded more than 200 million times around the world.
The app allows users to make subtle changes to their facial appearance, such as smoothing out wrinkles, or completely change their look. For example, you can narrow your face, change the shape and size of your eyes, or get digital rhinoplasty.
Initially only for photos, FaceTune released a version for short selfie videos two years ago and has become increasingly useful ever since.
Meanwhile, Perfect365, another popular app that lets users change their social media photos, plans to release a video version later this year.
Lightricks founder Zeev Farbman says making the app work as easily as possible is “the name of the game.” “He wants to give people 80% of the power with 20% of the complexity of professional software. That’s the game we’re trying to play.”
However, it has long been argued that such tools are unhealthy in that they promote an unrealistic view of beauty and are therefore dangerous, especially for impressionable children and young people. For example, a 2021 study by skincare brand Dove found that 80% of teenage girls said their appearance in online photos had changed by the age of 13.
No one is calling for the technology to be banned, but it does encourage social media advertisers and influencers (who are often paid to promote products in more informal ways) to promote body image. There is a growing movement to acknowledge that changes have been made. .
In 2021, Norway introduced a law requiring these two social media groups to indicate whether their photos have been retouched. France is now going a step further and requiring the same requirements for both photos and videos.
Meanwhile, the same issue is currently being considered in the UK as the government’s Online Safety Bill continues to make its way through Parliament. However, it remains to be seen whether the law will only cover ads on social media or influencers as well.
A spokesperson for the new Ministry of Science and Technology said: “The government is aware of the threat posed by digitally manipulated content and takes this issue very seriously.”
Conservative MP Luke Evans has long campaigned for advertisers and influencers to be allowed to alter their images on social media.
He wants the new law to “contain future-proof regulations” so that similar permits will be required for doctored videos and other technological developments.
āIt is essential to spread awareness and increase transparency around these new technologies,ā he says. āFor me, this is all about honesty.ā
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Farbman responded, “This conversation has always existed, but over time, the acceptance of these tools has only grown.” He added that this is a free speech issue. “It’s always strange to me when companies decide to restrict users’ freedom of expression because of aesthetic or ethical sensibilities.”
Sean Mao, CEO of San Francisco-based Perfect365, urged people to use the company’s app “in a safe and ethical manner.” He added: “We encourage people to use the app to express their creativity and do not use the app with malicious intent to deceive others or misrepresent themselves. We recommend that.ā
Psychologist Stuart Duff, a partner at British clinic Paan Kandla, says some social media influencers are always tempted to use tricks to look good online, because They say that looking good sells things.
“Physical attraction has a very strong, but often unconscious, influence on our decisions to purchase products and services from others,” he says.
āWhen asked what is most important, we consciously downplay the importance of physical appearance and focus on qualities such as intelligence, values, and character, but the study of psychology reveals the importance of a person’s attractiveness and our consistently reveals a strong positive relationship between the ability to market to
A social media influencer named Brandon B has 5.6 million subscribers on YouTube. He is of the view that apps that manipulate photos and videos should be viewed positively.
“I’m glad these apps exist. I think there are a lot of people out there who aren’t body positive enough to put it out there on social media, so they might feel left out,” he says. “These tools help them participate in social media.”
But Dr. Shira Brown, an emergency physician at South Niagara Hospital in Ontario, Canada, said it appears “distorted perceptions of body image” are “exacerbated by common social media habits.”
She added: “In our department, we see on a daily basis the immediate impact that social media has on mental health, including anxiety, suicidal thoughts and depression.”