GER’S

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The pros and cons of Instagram and Snapchat filters

In this era of the advance of technology, many people nowadays rely on filters. This is because filters can enhance and beautify their photos and appearance until it reaches expectation. According to a study, 18% of Instagram users frequently share snaps with filters to improve their images (Pettersson 2017). However, everything has pros and cons. In this post, I will share some advantages and disadvantages of using both Instagram and Snapchat filters.

Firstly, using filters, users can express themselves creatively and add original visual elements to their content. They can convert ordinary images into exciting and beautiful compositions, raising their aesthetic value. Filters can instantly enhance the appearance of pictures and videos by adjusting lighting, colours, and contrast. Without the need for advanced editing techniques, they can improve images' vibrancy, polish, and professional look. Not only that, but filters also allow users to experiment with various looks, styles and moods, enabling them to express their personality and creativity. For example, there is one of the popular filters where we can try different hair colours to see how it looks if it is our actual hair colour. They can convey a specific message or topic, showcase personal interests, or represent individual preferences. In addition, filters can increase users' self-esteem by giving them the chance to present themselves in a way that fits with the image they want to show. Users may experience more confidence and comfort when sharing their content with specific features that could improve or refine their dissatisfaction.

Besides that, just because filters have so many advantages, many people are relying on filters, especially Gen Z. By using filters, users were able to view probable alternatives to their current features, which also made defects they may have previously thought to be innate and unsolvable to now seem like minor issues (Javornik, Marder, Pizzetti & Warlop 2021). This has affected the unrealistic beauty standards towards users. Some filters on both platforms, which change face characteristics, skin tones, or body proportions, may promote unrealistic beauty standards. This could cause people to compare themselves to others, feel insufficient, and start having body image problems. Not only that, social pressure to adhere to particular beauty standards or trends may result from the accessibility and popularity of specific filters. This pressure may cause people to change their looks to conform to the filtered ideals, thus compromising their true nature and sense of self-acceptance. In addition, overexposure to filtered images, especially those that uphold unrealistic expectations, can harm mental health. Particularly in vulnerable people, it can contribute to low self-esteem, body dysmorphia, and feelings of inadequacy.

In conclusion, Instagram and Snapchat filters offer creativity and the ability to enhance photos and videos, but they also have potential drawbacks. Users should be mindful of the impact that filters may affect their sense of self, perceptions of their bodies, and mental health.

References:

Javornik, A, Marder, B, Pizzetti, M, & Warlop, L 2021, Research: How AR Filters Impact People’s Self-Image, Harvard Business Review, viewed 16 Jun 2023, <https://hbr.org/2021/12/research-how-ar-filters-impact-peoples-self-image>. 

Pettersson, S 2017, Statistics: How filters are used by Instagram’s most successful users, Medium, viewed 16 Jun 2023, <https://medium.com/@stpe/statistics-how-filters-are-used-by-instagrams-most-successful-users-d44935f87fa9#:~:text=But%20to%20what%20extent%20are,all%20photos%20use%20a%20filter.>.

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How to overcome body dysmorphia?

Body dysmorphia has been highly impacted by the body modification displayed on visual social media platforms. It is essential to admit that not everyone who engages in body modification experiences body dysmorphia. However, continuous exposure to curated images and the influence of micro-influencers may cause this condition to worsen or develop.

Visual social media platforms are flooded with well-chosen and edited pictures that frequently portray an idealised and unrealistic version of beauty. These contents would lead to social comparison and feelings of unbalance among viewers. People may begin to believe that their bodies are flawed or insufficient when they continually see flawless appearances and seemingly perfect bodies on their feeds, which may lead to body dysmorphia.

Micro-influencers are people with 10,000 to 50,000 followers on their social media (Ehlers 2021). They currently have a considerable say in what beauty standards and fashions are. Celebrities and influencers remain larger-than-life figures whose popularity and status raise their "modelling potential" among engaged viewers (Greenwood 2021). Their posts frequently focus on how they have changed their bodies, encouraging particular principles of beauty and portraying themselves as the pinnacle of attractiveness and desirability. Even if they might not have the same following as celebrities, micro-influencers can nevertheless influence their followers because of their relatability and personal substance.

Therefore, in this context, micro-influencers are responsible for educating and spreading positive messages to their followers. Although they have the right to express themselves, they should also be mindful of the potential impact they can have on their followers. Instead of maintaining unrealistic beauty standards, they should encourage body positivity, diversity, and self-acceptance. Micro-influencers may utilise their platforms to educate their fans on the realities of body modification, such as the potential risks, challenges, and emotional aspects.

Nevertheless, the responsibility for addressing body dysmorphia should not only rely on micro-influencers. Social media platforms also play an essential role in promoting body positivity and responsible content. It is possible to reduce the negative impact of visual social media on body dysmorphia by adopting regulations that forbid the promotion of irrational beauty standards and by providing methods of mental health support available.

In conclusion, even though body modification on visual social media platforms has contributed to developing or worsening body dysmorphia, appropriate usage of these platforms, especially by micro-influencers, could contribute to reducing these negative impacts.

References:

Ehlers, K 2021, Micro-Influencers: When Smaller Is Better, Forbes, viewed 16 Jun 2023, <https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/06/02/micro-influencers-when-smaller-is-better/?sh=1effe7e1539b>. 

Greenwood, D 2021, The BBL Bubble: How Social Media Fuels Body Modification, Psychology Today, viewed 16 Jun 2023, <https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mirror-mirror/202108/the-bbl-bubble-how-social-media-fuels-body-modification>.

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Say NO to online harassment!

Online harassment has been a problem for a very long time and it still happening now. Social Media platforms used to be a place for everyone to share their daily life, speak out their voice, share opinions and stay connected over time and distance, but currently, it has been a place full of humans and bots putting hate, threats, and vitriol at anyone, particularly at women, people of colour, and the weak (Golbeck 2018). Hence, social media governance is crucial in solving this issue. In this post, I will be discussing what social media governance can be improved in order to combat online harassment effectively and create a safer digital space for users.

Strengthening Community Guidelines

To effectively combat online abuse, social media platforms should constantly update and strengthen their community guidelines. The policies should clearly describe inappropriate conduct such as harassment, hate speech, and bullying. They should also provide particular examples to assist consumers in understanding the boundaries.

Proactive Content Moderation

By investing in modern technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, platforms can improve their content moderation practices.  These technologies can assist in more efficiently detecting and removing unsafe content.  However, in order to ensure nuanced decision-making and eliminate potential biases, it is critical to combine automation with human monitoring.

Improved Reporting Mechanisms

Reporting Mechanisms should be easy to use, accessible, and available across all platforms.  Platforms should actively encourage users to report harassment incidents and provide detailed information on how to do so. Furthermore, platforms should prioritise responding to reports immediately and providing updates on the progress of reported content.

User Empowerment and Education

User education activities that promote knowledge of online harassment, its impact, and ways to prevent and report it should be prioritised by platforms. By providing tools, lessons, and interactive instructions on online safety and responsible digital citizenship, users may better navigate the digital landscape.

In conclusion, social media governance may make great progress in reducing online abuse by applying these suggestions. However, all stakeholders, including platforms, users, governments, and civil society, must collaborate and work together to create a more secure and inclusive digital environment.

References:

Golbeck, J 2018, Online Harassment, J Golbeck (ed.), 1st ed. 2018., Springer International Publishing, Cham.

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Fast Fashion vs Slow Fashion

The two approaches to the clothes industry, fast fashion and slow fashion, each have their pros and cons. In this post, we will be exploring the pros and cons of both, and include my own opinion at the end of the post.

In the current clothing industry, fast fashion is getting more popular due to its low-cost and trendy clothing items. The phrase "fast fashion" is used to characterize the easily accessible, cheaply created clothing of today (Bick, Halsey & Ekenga 2018). The definition of "fast" refers to how quickly retailers can move designs from the runway to stores to keep up with continuing demand for more and more styles. For example, the current popular fast fashion businesses are Shein and Taobao. The props of fast fashion are the affordable price, ease to access, and variety of options. It allows consumers to keep on the fashion trend without breaking the bank. Fast fashion brands ensure that new styles are on the market quickly by offering rapid production time. Additionally, fast fashion's global supply chains have opened up job prospects in poorer nations.

However, fast fashion has cons too. Although sales have increased, fewer people are wearing an item, which results in a lot of waste materials (Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017). Therefore, it is not surprising to see the clothing industry pointed out as one of the main causes of pollution (Woodside & Fine 2019). Increased consumption and waste production result from the emphasis on low prices and rapid turnover. Fast fashion uses inexpensive materials and labor-intensive manufacturing processes that harm the environment, pollute the air, and deplete natural resources. Additionally, it encourages a culture of fast-fashion disposal of clothing, which worsens the waste problem.

On the other hand, compared to fast fashion, slow fashion provides a more ethical and environmentally responsible alternative. Slow fashion is often defined as sustainable fashion. It suggests that quantity should not take priority over quality. By valuing the current parts and fixing the ones that are breaking, it emphasizes the idea of durable goods. Additionally, renting, borrowing, and purchasing used items are all closely linked to slow fashion (Leymann 2022). Fair wages, stable working conditions, and supply chain transparency are priorities for slow fashion businesses. Slow fashion helps local economies and protects cultural heritage by encouraging local manufacture and traditional craftsmanship.  The focus on sustainability encourages consumers to purchase fewer, higher-quality items that will last longer rather than more, which lowers waste and the fashion industry's negative impact on the environment.

Everything has pros and cons, the same goes to slow fashion. Due to the use of sustainable materials and fair labor practices, the cost of slow fashion items may be higher than fast fashion. Not only that, the slow fashion process promotes rapport-building with labor groups, which supports better planning and long-term connections in contrast to the unpredictability resulting from a constant concentration on cutting labor and production costs (Fletcher 2007).

In my own opinion, I would prefer slow fashion. Quality is more important than quantity. This is due to the reason that everyone has a responsibility to protect the earth. Therefore, choosing a sustainable fashion should be the prioritized option. If keeping up with the fashion trend is the concern, slow fashion can be on the fashion trend too. In this case, social media influencers play an important role to educate and promote about slow fashion to their followers. For example, some of the influencers who has a fashion sense, always share their tips on matching the same shirt with different pants or skirt. It is also a good phenomenon to educate people on reusing their old clothes.

In conclusion, both fast fashion and slow fashion have their own pros and cons. Consumers must ultimately decide whether to make thoughtful decisions that reflect their values and support a more sustainable fashion business.

References:

Bick, R, Halsey, E & Ekenga, CC 2018, ‘The global environmental injustice of fast fashion’, Environmental health, vol. 17, no. 1, BioMed Central Ltd, England, pp. 92–92.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017, A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion’s future, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, viewed 15 Jun 2023, <https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/a-new-textiles-economy>. 

Fletcher, K 2007, Slow Fashion, Ecologist, viewed 16 Jun 2023, <https://theecologist.org/2007/jun/01/slow-fashion>. 

Leymann, J 2022, What is sustainable fashion?, Johanna Leymann, viewed 15 Jun 2023, <https://johannaleymann.se/hallbartmode/>. 

Woodside, AG & Fine, MB 2019, ‘Sustainable fashion themes in luxury brand storytelling: The sustainability fashion research grid’, Journal of global fashion marketing, vol. 10, no. 2, Routledge, pp. 111–128.

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#MeToo

What is digital citizenship? Digital citizenship can be defined as the standards of behavior, conduct, and consumption that have an effect on the ecology of digital content and communities (Heick 2021). In other words, it can also be defined as self-reported behaviors that support and enhance the online communities you rely on or enjoy.

Besides that, another term that we need to understand is Social Media Activism. What is Social Media Activism? Social Media Activism is a form of online protest or causes advocacy (Newberry 2022). However, when we talk about social media, one of the elements that could not be ignored is hashtags. Hashtag plays an important role in social media. Therefore, hashtag activism has a great chance of bringing attention to crucial issues and inspiring supporters to take action. Using well-known hashtags, activists can promote their campaign and reach a large audience, thus increasing awareness and support for the cause.

A very good example that can be mentioned is the #MeToo movement. Tarana Burke launched the #metoo movement in 2006 to aid sexual assault survivors, particularly young women of color from underprivileged communities, in finding paths to rehabilitation. When the #MeToo hashtag went popular in October 2017 and survivors from all over the world came forward to share their stories of sexual assault, the campaign became international. This movement is successful as it has reached other many people and received much support on social media too. According to Twitter, the hashtag was shared about a million times in just two days. The campaign spread to Facebook as well, where 12 million posts were shared by 4.7 million individuals in less than 24 hours. People are still using the hashtag #MeToo on social media sites to express their stories years later (Blackburn 2023).

The government’s law sometimes might not help the victims, but this movement has created awareness for everyone. It may seem like a little support from everyone, but it’s enough to wake people up, speak up and prevent another woman from becoming the next victim.

References:

Blackburn, S 2023, ‘The #MeToo Movement: History, Sexual Assault Statistics, Impact’, verywellmind, viewed 12 May 2023, <https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-metoo-movement-4774817#toc-impact-of-the-metoo-movement>. 

Heick, T 2021, ‘The Definition of Digital Citizenship’, teachthought, viewed 12 May 2023, <https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/definition-digital-citizenship/>. 

Newberry, C 2022, ‘Social Media Activism in 2022: How to go beyond the hashtag’, Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard, viewed 14 October 2022, <https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-activism/#:~:text=Social%20media%20activism%20is%20an,used%20interchangeably%20with%20hashtag%20activism>. 

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Reality TV case study: Single’s Inferno

Recently, dating show has become the trend compared to other types of reality TV shows. Although dating programs have their roots in "reality," they frequently incorporate a variety of made-up features that keep us all captivated. This is because people love to see good love endings, as well as love to witness the progress from strangers to the stage of falling in love and how they would fight and pay for their love. Dating shows fulfill a variety of our TV wishes and expectations, according to Dr. Karen McNally, a Reader in American Film, Television, and Cultural History at London Metropolitan University (Gulla 2022). Hence, there are many types of dating show from different countries has released, such as Perfect Match, Single’s Inferno, Love is Blind, and so on. However, today I will be focusing on one dating show called Single’s Inferno from Netflix.

Single’s Inferno is a reality show from South Korea. The story begins by introducing five single men and five single women who have been dropped on the island of Inferno, where they would be cut off from all outside help for an entire eight days (Schulman 2023). The goal for the contestants is to find a person and couple up in order to get the chance to ‘paradise’, which basically is a high-class resort. However, the most interesting part is that the contestants are not allowed to share their age and occupation until they have made it to paradise with their partners. Hence, the ‘paradise’ is an interesting and exciting place where contestants not only can enjoy the premium experience and better bed of course, but a golden opportunity to know more about the person they are interested in when they were at the Inferno island.

Due to the interesting ‘storyline’, it actually helps the program and the casts increase their popularity. Thanks to social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube, audiences get the chance to interact with their favorite contestants or the couple from Single’s Inferno. A very good example can be found is that there is one contestant named Moon Se Hoon, he is a chef and he owned a restaurant in Gangnam, Korea. Due to Moon Se Hoon becoming one of the focused figures in Single’s Inferno, his restaurant has become more famous and popular, his fans went to visit his restaurant just to meet him. Not only that, Moon Se Hoon’s partner, Shin Ji Yeon also promised him that she would like to visit his restaurant, this has created the expectation that people who love this couple would look forward to her visit. After a few months, finally, Shin Ji Yeon posted a video on her Youtube of her visiting Moon Se Hoon’s restaurant.

Therefore, this example can be clearly defined that social media also plays an important role to promote the show and the contestants, they get the opportunity to increase their popularity and business as well as engage with their supporters and followers.

References:

Gulla, E 2022, ‘Why are reality dating shows taking over the TV landscape?’, Cosmopolitan, viewed 12 May, <https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a40586062/reality-dating-shows-taking-over-tv/>. 

Schulman 2023, ‘13 Dating Shows to Get You Pumpled About Love’, Netflix, viewed 12 May 2023, <https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/best-dating-shows>.

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Is Tumblr a suitable blogging platform for the younger generation?

What is blog? Blog is actually a shortened form of “weblog”. Early internet users may "log" the specifics of their days in diary-style postings on these weblogs (Duermyer 2022). Not only that, it also allows readers to leave comments on their blogs too. In other words, a blog can also be defined as a blog or informational website that posts content in reverse chronological order, with the most recent entries at the top. It serves as a forum for writers to express their opinions on specific topics (Minaev 2023). However, as times change, there are many purposes of blogging. Some people blog for projects and some of them blog for business that could bring money and increase the visibility of the blogger (Minaev 2023). As a result, the main purpose is to connect and relate to readers as well as increase the audience and direct targeted traffic to their blog website. So back to the topic, is Tumblr a suitable platform for the younger generation?

Firstly, Tumblr can be said that it is a younger blogging platform. Tumblr was established in 2007, but it didn't really acquire much traction until Yahoo bought it in 2013. Tumblr frequently promotes itself as the easiest way for individuals to create content rapidly. On the network, users may rapidly connect with one another, fostering a strong sense of community. Additionally, the community on Tumblr is thriving with over 300 million blogs (Corrin 2023). Tumblr can easily create a post everywhere. Not only that, Tumblr’s dashboard is simple and the design is more colorful compared to other platforms which is more interesting to the younger generation. Not only that, there are many options to create a post on Tumblr. While writing a blog spot, users can also add images, videos, links, audio, and more to enhance the meaning that the writer wants to express.

However, when you talk about customization on Tumblr, it only has a small number of customization options. Although there are still a number of themes that can be the design of the blog, it’s only free for simple design, other complex and design-savvy themes usually need to pay. This is because Tumblr is a platform that enables writers to develop their writing abilities and creativity. It might also be an excellent platform for schooling (Shmulevich 2013).

In conclusion, Tumblr is suitable for the younger generation as it is simple to use and create a post, and also it is a good platform for them to focus and practice their writing and reading skills.

References:

Corrin, S 2023, ‘WordPress Vs Tumblr: Pro’s & Con’s For 2023’, bloggingwizard, viewed 12 May 2023, &lt;https://bloggingwizard.com/wordpress-vs-tumblr/>. 

Duermyer, R 2022, ‘What Is Blogging?’, The Balance, viewed 12 May 2023, &lt;https://www.thebalancemoney.com/blogging-what-is-it-1794405#toc-what-is-blogging>. 

Minaev, A 2023, ‘What is a Blog? - Definition of Terms Blog, Blogging, and Blogger’, First Site Guide, viewed 12 May 2023, &lt;https://firstsiteguide.com/what-is-blog/>. 

Shmulevich, R 2013, ‘Blogs Are Not On the Verge of Becoming Irrelevant’, The Observer, viewed 10 May 2023, &lt;https://fordhamobserver.com/17285/opinions/blogs-are-not-on-the-verge-of-becoming-irrelevant/>.

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Can social media be considered a public sphere?

What is the public sphere? The "public sphere" is typically seen as the social setting where various viewpoints are voiced, issues of public concern are addressed, and communication solutions are found (Wessler & Freudenthaler 2018). German philosopher Jürgen Habermas initially introduced the idea of the public sphere in the 1960s. Habermas contends that the public sphere is essential to democratic societies because it gives people a forum to express their ideas, form opinions, and hold those in positions of authority responsible. However, does social media considered a public sphere? 

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are eliminating all the temporal and spatial obstacles to distant contact, whereas formerly the public space was located in physical venues like cafés (Khan, Gilani, & Nawaz, 2012). Therefore, social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram allow people to share information, express opinions and have conversations with a global audience. Therefore, there are some requirements to discuss whether social media is a public sphere. A public sphere must be free exchanges of ideas, free speech, and free debate (CommGAP, n.d). An equal and protected involvement must be allowed, access to knowledge must be unfettered and limitless, and institutional surveillance must not exist.

So, could everyone in the world have access to knowledge limitlessly on the internet? People from underdeveloped countries, they are lack affordable access to the Internet. As a result, they may receive inaccurate or incomplete information. This can be defined that there is no guarantee that everyone can access the same knowledge from social media. Hence, this is one of the proofs that social media might not consider a public sphere. Besides that, the content that people are looking at on social media is mostly controlled by algorithms. Social media algorithms are a means to order posts in a user's feed based on relevance rather than when they were published (Barnhart 2021). Therefore, it can be considered institutional surveillance, where the algorithms only show the content that the user might like to see, which caused that every user might receive different information. Not only that, although there is freedom of speech for everyone, there is still some unequal situation happening on social media. Celebrities, micro-celebrity, or people who have many followers on social media called it influencer, tend to get more blindly supports from their followers whenever they give out their opinion towards some issues. These can be proof that social media did not meet the requirement of the public sphere.

In conclusion, social media cannot be considered the public sphere due to the reason that social media did not meet the 3 requirements which are access to information limitlessly, equal involvement, and institutional monitoring should not exist.

References:

Barnhart, B 2021, ‘Everything you need to know about social media’, Sprout Blog, viewed 11 May 2023, <https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-algorithms/>. 

CommGAP, n.d, The public sphere, CommGAP, viewed 11 May 2023, &lt;https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57a08b45e5274a27b2000a69/PubSphereweb.pdf>. 

Khan, M, Z, Gilani, I, S, & Nawaz, A 2012, ‘From Habermas Model to New Public Sphere: A Paradigm Shift’, Global Journal of Human Social Science.

Wessler, H, Freudenthaler, R 2018, Public sphere, Oxford Bibliographies, viewed 11 May 2023, &lt;https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199756841/obo-9780199756841-0030.xml>.