We live in an era where seeing doesn’t necessarily equate to believing. Every time we tap open an application like Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat, we are exposed to a torrent of pictures, videos, and opinions that all compete for our attention. This ever-present stream of content distorts our perceptions about the world, other people, and ourselves. The problem is not that we have not enough information, it is that what we perceive as real gets more and more entangled with what is not real. On social media, truth is filtered, edited, and reformatted so that it looks perfect, and this perfection starts feeling real.
Social media has completely changed the way we perceive beauty, success, and happiness. When we scroll past perfect selfies, luxurious vacations, or people boasting expensive goods, we start to think that’s what normal life is. Our brains are not necessarily capable of recognizing when a pose and when it’s real, and so we start comparing ourselves to photographs which aren’t even real. A study released in 2023 by the American Psychological Association found that being constantly bombarded by edited or idealized photos has the effect of decreasing self-esteem and body image, especially in adolescents (American Psychological Association, 2023). Though we know that photographs are filtered, we emotionally react as though they are actual. This makes way for what some professionals describe as a “perception gap” the gap between what is and what we believe to be.
This gap in perception can have devastating effects. Teenagers mostly start measuring their worth based on their likes and compliments they get. People start thinking that happiness is looking good in photographs and not being happy with life. What started as a way to relate becomes competition for attention and validation. Over time, the constant comparison makes it harder to enjoy our own lives the way they are.
Perception is not only a question of the way we sense ourselves but also the way we imagine what the world is like. Social media platforms use algorithms to show us more of the same items we already like or agree with. That is to say, if you like specific posts or videos, then the app will keep showing you similar ones. It feels handy, but actually, it limits the way we perceive the world. The Pew Research Center has in 2022 reported that algorithms create “echo chambers,” which are communities where users predominantly read opinions that are in accordance with their own (Pew Research Center, 2022).
Echo chambers determine what we perceive as truth. When we see just one side of the problem, we start thinking that our idea is right. That is how misinformation circulates so profusely because people accept what they think is familiar or in accordance with their thoughts. Over time, social media can make us feel safe in a world that’s still not quite real. Our own experience is shaped not by reality, but by virtual patterns that quietly dictate what we see and what we believe.
How we perceive ourselves is also changing with filters and photo editing software. These programs can smooth out skin, change the shape of the body, or transform a person into someone else. Filters might be harmless or fun at first, but they begin to alter our perception of our natural self. Social media overexposure makes us anxious, lonely, and unhappy in our own lives, according to psychologist Dr. Jean Twenge (Twenge, 2020). Once we start perceiving the filtered self as the “better” self, it becomes easy to disconnect from who we really are.
The more we utilize these edited photos, the more beauty is elusive to us. This can lead to what some call “Snapchat dysmorphia,” when people want to look like their filtered versions in real life. Our definition of beauty is traded for an image ideal that is impossible to attain.
To counteract these illusions, we must pay more attention to how they are created. Having good digital awareness means scepticism of what we see on the internet and keeping in mind that social media is not the entire story. We can balance our perspective by looking at accounts that show reality as opposed to perfection, taking time off the internet, and living around real experiences.
Perception is powerful, it makes us think, it makes us feel. But if we can learn to peek beyond the filters, the algorithms, and the scripted perfection, we can begin to see life in all its glory. The greatest thing that we have to learn is this: real life does not need editing. What makes it precious is that it is real, not that it is pretty.
Works Cited
“The Impact of Social Media on the Mental Health of Adolescents and Young Adults.” PMC, 2023, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10476631/. PubMed Central
“Social Drivers and Algorithmic Mechanisms on Digital Media.” PMC, 2023, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11373151/. PubMed Central
Putri, S.D.G., et al. “Echo Chambers and Algorithmic Bias.” SHS Conferences, 2024, shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2024/22/shsconf_icense2024_05001.pdf. SHS Conferences
“The Effects of Social Media on Teens and Young Adults.” San Diego State University / Jean Twenge, 2022, psychology.sdsu.edu/social-media-and-kids-mental-health-jean-twenge/. Department of Psychology
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