photogenic; others are breathtaking in real life but not on camera. A photographer once said that pictures of the moon never do it justice, so she edits them to reflect how it felt to see it. Maybe some people use filters the same way; to express the version of themselves they feel inside, not to deceive but to capture an essence.
Still, there’s a cost. When perfectly polished faces flood our feeds, unedited photos start to feel out of place, as if something’s wrong with natural skin or uneven lighting. Even compliments start to feel performative, tossed in comments rather than spoken in real life.
So what’s the solution? I don’t think it’s about banning filters. Honestly, I get it. Even in school photos, we used to pay extra to have them retouched so we could remember the moment, not the mysterious pimple that showed up that morning. It wasn’t about pretending to
be someone else; it was about wanting a version that felt true to how we wanted to remember ourselves. In the magazine era, we all knew edits were part of the fantasy; now they’re part of everyday life. Maybe the real work isn’t removing filters, but recognizing how easily they can shift our baseline… when the filtered version starts to feel more “real” than the person underneath.
Technology was always meant to extend our abilities, to help us see further, reach higher, and do what once felt out of reach. In many ways, filters come from that same impulse: to enhance what the lens can’t quite capture, to show how we feel rather than just what is. But when enhancement turns into alteration, the line between expression and escape starts to blur. What begins as a tool to refine can slowly start to redefine.
Because technology reflects the people who build it, it also mirrors our blind spots. Companies create tools they believe we’ll use. While they often give us what we want, they don’t always stop to ask what we need. Every time we design something to improve the experience, we shape the experience itself… including how we see ourselves.
Maybe the next chapter of innovation isn’t about more polish or perfection. It’s about presence. About using tools that deepen awareness, nurture our wholeness, and help us feel more connected to who we already are. The future of technology should bring us closer to ourselves, not further away.