Picture Perfect?

Similarly to how advertising techniques strive to make their products appear perfect, Instagram users feel the need to mirror this seeming perfection when presenting themselves to their followers. Advertising has proven to be the most effective and persuasive tool used by businesses to manipulate their consumers, as businesses have mastered the ability to portray a product as being the very best. This fabricated superiority essentially blinds the consumer, leading them to make a decision based solely off of an airbrushed representation of a product. For example, advertisers will use engine oil instead of maple syrup to make stacked pancakes look as appetizing as possible because of their understanding that consumers gravitate towards a product that looks visually appealing. When in reality, if the consumer were to use the product, it would appear much different than they had expected it to be. This separation between representation and actuality is mirrored by Instagram users who promote an idealized version of their lives; people are afraid to share their humanistic imperfections, wanting to maintain a superior and flawless reputation.

“90 percent of 175 surveyed young women and nonbinary people say they filter or edit all of their photos before posting them online. This includes evening out skin tone, whitening teeth, reshaping jaw or nose lines, and even shaving off some weight.”

Celebrities have mastered this tactic, having teams whose sole purpose is dedicated to creating a “perfect” timeline for their fans. For example, Kylie Jenner, a business mogul with over 370 million followers, has been caught editing her photos in an effort to slim her waist which creates a false bodily expectation. This ties into the idea that society idolizes celebrities that deceive their followers and in the same way, subscribe to businesses that falsely advertise their products. This is also seen with influencers. The term “influencer” has been coined for people who are essentially extensions of larger brands, who aim to acquire profit through every medium available. The influencers are the company's ethos, providing credibility due to the fact that consumers can relate to them as the only thing that separates them from the influencer, is a large following. Their job, first and foremost, is to promote brands' products by using the prior mentioned tactic of making the product look ideal to the consumer.

For example, Curology is a skincare company that utilizes influencers for most of their advertising campaigns. One influencer, Emma Chamberlain, attributes her flawless skin to the company's skin cream. Though her skin may have improved from daily use of the product, consumers are unable to differentiate between the use of an airbrush filter or actual progress. If people see that someone with millions of followers is using a certain skin care product, they automatically assume that it is a good product because they view these people as reliable sources. In many ways, individuals look up to these figures because they hope to mimic the lifestyle the influencers are portraying.

This distortion of reality has influenced society’s value system, encouraging people to care for the appearance of something, rather than the experience itself. Now, when individuals travel to places, the first thing they think to do is take a picture of the beach, or of a drink in their hand, aiming to flaunt a certain lifestyle for their followers to envy. The constant pressure to present a specific type of lifestyle leads to a competitive atmosphere between individuals on the app, with people feeling the need to post a nicer picture than the person before them. This results in stress on the user because rather than appreciating raw moments with those around them, they are focused primarily on curating an image that aligns with the idealized lifestyle that they have created. By no longer caring to present an authentic representation of one’s life, people have fallen victim to upholding a societal expectation based on superficial ideals. In the same way, companies often do not care about long-term customer satisfaction, but rather invest in creating an unrealistic initial advertisement that will quickly hook consumers, assuring the most profit possible.