Instagram or how to create the ‘perfect’ fake portrait

A bunch of photos are posted and commented on Instagram every day. Thousands of people find this social network not only as an app to gain popularity but also as a way to inspire their followers with their beautiful pictures and texts. Also, by using some hashtags their messages can be easily spread to all over the world in just a few seconds.

Moreover, there are some of them that they usually promote in their Instagram accounts a lifestyle that seems ‘perfect’ and desirable to everyone. In those kind of profiles you will probably find stunning sunset pictures, healthy meals or the perfect outfit for a casual walk on the street.

Nevertheless, most of the times those ‘perfect’ images are not as real as we think they are. Behind those amazing filters and those perfect framing and editing of the photos there is another reality, a hidden one. My question here is: have you ever wondered how does the full picture look like?

A photographer in Bangkok (Thailand), Chompoo Baritone, decided to create photo series showing this hidden reality on Instagram. With this work Baritone wanted to show how fake Instagram can be and also how lots of people lie about their lives. Her images revealed behind the scenes of a wide range of photos that you can easily find on the social network of photo sharing such as people pretending to be fit or also making others believe they are in a beautiful place when is not the case.

Chompoo Baritone photo

The British designer and retailer Wren Kitchens also created another photo series similar to Chompoo Baritone ones. However, in his pictures he decided to show the world that lies beneath all those ‘perfect’ Instagram family pictures. He selected 5 popular parent bloggers and explained the purpose of his project: “I just want to show how cropping, choosing the right angle and right filters, can make a messy photo look like a perfect portrait”.  

Wren Kitchens photo

Baritone and Kitchen projects are only two examples of the impact that social networks are causing to society. However, I do not really pretend to set off a controversy or to say that everything you see on Instagram is always fake. What I really pretend to say is that we should really think about why these people lie about their real lives. What is their real problem? Are they unhappy with themselves? Or do they post images simply for attention?

If we try getting to the heart of the matter, it is clear that this issue involves a more complex scene. Instagram -but also other social networks such as Facebook or Snapchat- have advantages but also some disadvantages that we should take into consideration.

For instance, they are creating a very superficial society and at the same time too concerned about how do they look. Because of this fact, sometimes we do not really enjoy what we have around us because we are too immersed in a world where almost everything is outward appearance.

In addition, this also involves that we are currently living in a world that seems to be more focused on ‘virtual reality’ than in ‘real reality’ -and this is a big problem-. Nevertheless, it is in our hands trying to change this paradigm. We should start using social networks in order to show who we really are instead of showing a fake version of ourselves.