Ethics for Social Media Filters
Designers
design ethics; responsible design; case study
Project Timeline
Oct'24- Dec'24
2 months
Contributors
Yuen Yee Wong
Xiaoling Zhang
Si Wu
1
Case Analysis
Learning from ethical dliemmas in design
2
Role of Designer
The designer’s role in shaping a responsible future
3
Code of Ethics
Building a code of ethics for responsible design
Case 1; Chapter 14: The Unstable Body (pp. 227-229)
The selected text for analysis is from the book Are We Human?: Notes on an Archeology of Design, authored by Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley, and published by the Istanbul Kültür ve Sanat Vakfı in 2016 (pp. 227-229).
This book situates and explores the fields of design theory and architectural history, and the intersection of human identity and the physical body through the lens of design practices. The specific section under consideration delves into the historical and contemporary implications of reconstructive surgery, highlighting its role in addressing trauma, disease, birth defects, aesthetic preferences, and gender reassignment.
The practice of plastic surgery is not a modern invention; its roots can be traced back to ancient Egypt around 2000 BC, as well as the Sushruta Samhita from 600 BC, which documented surgical techniques. The aftermath of the World Wars and the Korean War significantly accelerated advancements in plastic surgery, driven by the need to treat disfigurements resulting from conflict.
Society
For some, surgery is not only a physical change, but also a way to seek social acceptance (Kay, 2015). Stigma associated procedures, particularly related to gender reassignment, can lead to social discrimination.
Culture
Although the surgery offers opportunities for individuals to reclaim agency over their bodies, it could also reinforce harmful societal beauty standards.
Environment
There is an opportunity to innovate in the development of biodegradable or less harmful materials. However, introducing these materials into our bodies, now pets as well (McNeal, 2005), is concerning.
Design
On a mirco-level, designers' role is to design medical environments, tools, and processes that prioritise patient experience. On a broader level, beyond individual procedures, reconstructive surgery invites reflection on how design can address societal perceptions of beauty, identity and normalcy.
How do beauty filters shape or alter a user's sense of beauty? How do filters affect users' self-esteem and body image? Is there a relationship between filter use and the need for cosmetic surgery?
How can designers make a change?
Designers have to find a balance between user experience, business demands and ethical values. This includes consideration of user data storage and sharing, and privacy and permission considerations.
Case 2; “REAL ME VERSUS SOCIAL MEDIA ME:” FILTERS, SNAPCHAT DYSMORPHA, AND BEAUTY PERCEPTIONS AMONG YOUNG WOMEN
Through interviews with 18-30 years old females, this case study aims to explore how the use of filters affects their self-perception and self-esteem. It also examines how social media filters have reinforced societal standards of beauty, leading many to pursue an ideal appearance, which in turn affects their mental health and fuels the need for cosmetic surgery.
Beauty filters create an idealised appearance by altering the user's facial features (e.g. skin smoothness, eye and lip size, contour correction). This phenomenon, known as ‘Snapchat dysmorphia’, is the desire of users to recreate the appearance of their filters in real life, creating unrealistic expectations of a ‘perfect appearance’. Such filters not only affect their self-perception but also raise mental health concerns and even drive the need for cosmetic surgery.
Society
Participants generally agreed that the repeated ‘beauty’ standards on social media encouraged them to pursue the ideal appearance in the filters, thus further distorting their self-perceptions.
Psychology
Psychological theories (e.g., Lacan's ‘mirror stage’ theory) were used to analyse the impact of beauty filters on self-esteem. The ‘better version’ of the self in the filter is constantly internalised as the ideal self, resulting in dissatisfaction in reality. This idealised image leads to varying degrees of anxiety, depression and self-loathing among young women.
Response
The Snapchat monstrosity has fuelled the trend of young women opting for cosmetic surgery to achieve the filter effect. Many users take their filtered selfies to cosmetic surgery clinics, reflecting the far-reaching impact of filters in shaping realistic expectations. People encourage themselves to do cosmetic surgery because they thought “Not pretty enough” (Zaugg, Ko and Leung, 2020).
Ethics
Although filters provide personalised appearance adjustments that make users feel confident and happy, their negative role in reinforcing unrealistic beauty standards cannot be ignored. The use of filters not only affects users' self-esteem and body image, but also promotes the demand for cosmetic surgery among some users who wish to recreate the filter effect in reality. Overall, this study highlights the importance of ethical considerations when designing and promoting beauty filters to balance user experience and mental health, and to avoid promoting unhealthy beauty standards.
Values for Ethical Design
The code of ethics for digital designers, especially those who design social media filters for apps including, but not limited to, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok, is based on the following five values:
Transparency and Honesty
Empowerment Over Manipulation
Diversity and Inclusion
Promotion of Authenticity
Privacy and Data Security
Code of Ethics
posters for digital designers, especially those who design social media filters
Bibliography
Anna Davies (2018) People are getting surgery to look like their Snapchat selfies, BBC Three. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/bbcthree/article/9ca4f7c6-d2c3-4e25-862c-03aed9ec1082
clnroot (2024) Beauty Without Waste: The Eco-Friendly Revolution in Plastic Surgery in Turkey, TravelMEDI. Available at: https://travelmedi.com/beauty-without-waste-the-eco-friendly-revolution-in-plastic-surgery-in-turkey/
Çömezoğlu, N. et al. (2024) ‘Exploring and Analyzing the Data Practices of Tiktok’. Available at: https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.10779.07203.
Eshiet, J., 2020. “REAL ME VERSUS SOCIAL MEDIA ME:” FILTERS, SNAPCHAT DYSMORPHIA, AND BEAUTY PERCEPTIONS AMONG YOUNG WOMEN. Available at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/1101/
Greer, J.D. (2003) ‘Evaluating the Credibility of Online Information: A Test of Source and Advertising Influence’, Mass Communication and Society, 6(1), pp. 11–28. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327825MCS0601_3
Hunt, E. (2019) ‘Faking it: how selfie dysmorphia is driving people to seek surgery’, The Guardian, 23 January. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jan/23/faking-it-how-selfie-dysmorphia-is-driving-people-to-seek-surgery
Javornik, A., Marder, B., Barhorst, J.B., McLean, G., Rogers, Y., Marshall, P. and Warlop, L., 2022. ‘What lies behind the filter?’Uncovering the motivations for using augmented reality (AR) face filters on social media and their effect on well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, 128, p.107126. Available at：https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563221004490?casa_token=zByzpk3jua0AAAAA:VTydzgUXeQSJHsaeed7Qg4QiL7My_kKZtR0X8NTvt1X3492TMyI7bcuABFW94liDNsJrj9Gv9w
Kay, K. (2015) ‘Is cosmetic surgery the new acceptable face of womanhood?’, The Observer, 27 June. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/28/cosmetic-surgery-normal-acceptable-face-womanhood
Lewallen, J. and Behm-Morawitz, E. (2016) ‘Pinterest or Thinterest?: Social Comparison and Body Image on Social Media’, Social Media + Society, 2(1), p. 2056305116640559. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305116640559.
meiyan (no date) BeautyCam美颜相机-拍人像更专业. Available at: https://meiyan.meipai.com/index.html?zh
Petter, O. (2024) Are we all going to end up with the same face?, The Independent. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/beauty-features-same-face-instagram-b2534111.html
Stangl, A.L. et al. (2019) ‘The Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework: a global, crosscutting framework to inform research, intervention development, and policy on health-related stigmas’, BMC Medicine, 17, p. 31. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-019-1271-3.
Tolentino, J. (2019) ‘The Age of Instagram Face’, The New Yorker, 12 December. Available at: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/decade-in-review/the-age-of-instagram-face
Vice (no date) The Unstoppable Rise of the ‘Instagram Face’. Available at: https://www.saveface.co.uk/en/blog/post/the-unstoppable-rise-of-the-instagram-face
Zaugg, J., Ko, S. and Leung, N. (2020) China cosmetic surgery apps: Swipe to buy a new face, CNN. Available at: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/cosmetic-surgery-apps-china-intl-hnk/index.html