With social media exploding in the form of pictures, videos, streams, posts, etc, people materialize in the virtual world in an attempt to show the world who they are. But what is produced often times seems far from who the individual actually is in real life. Facebook, Instagram, and other forms of picture media allow an individual to be whoever they want to be. They can make themselves look better or they can make their lives look more interesting. It’s all about what you post, and more importantly what you don’t post. In addressing this trend of selecting the traits/attributes/appearances of yourself to put online, one way to make things look ‘instantly cooler’ is the use of a filter. Hundreds of filters are used on pictures to make it look more ‘antique’ or ‘faded’ or ‘enhanced.’ In an era where image, especially the virtual one, is everything, is it impossible to be your ‘true and real self’ on social media? In addition, what does a ‘filtered profile’ do for the poster? Does it boost self esteem? And in an age where we are constantly digitally connected, how do differing roles of ‘normal life’ and ‘virtual life’ affect the individual?
