Research + News | Topic: Identity

TikTok’s Catfish Problem Is Worse Than You Think

Several creators have been called out for faking their age and their race. Read the article here.

Selfie-Image Problem: 9 In 10 Young Women Edit, Filter Photos Before Posting Them Online

Most young women in the survey said they’re frequently bombarded with tailored ads for beauty products and cosmetic surgeries. Read the article here.

How Smartphones Can Help You Become Trans

Plume is a new medical service that allows people to go online and get whatever they want… including gender reassignment hormones and medical letters of support for reassignment surgery… all without actually seeing a doctor. Read the article here.

The Paradox Of Online “Body Positivity”

It has always sucked to compare yourself to the prettiest girl in school, but it sucks a lot more to feel like everybody else in the entire world is the prettiest girl in school. Read the article here.

Trans Teens Are Using TikTok To Raise Money For Their Surgery

After struggling on Instagram and other platforms, transgender people are using TikTok’s unique attributes to bypass waiting lists and raise money for expensive gender transition operations. Read the article here.

What We Can Learn About Leading Students From Instagram

How should some recent experiments and changes on Instagram inform our leadership? Read the blog post from Tim Elmore here.

China’s Selfie Culture: Youth Obsessed With The Power Of Appearances

Meitu’s popular apps and a flippant attitude towards plastic surgery are changing what it means to be beautiful, but the result is not always pretty. Read the article here.

How Teens Use Fake Instagram Accounts To Relieve The Pressure Of Perfection

Fake Instagram accounts, often referred to as “finstas” or “spam accounts”, have become the norm for many teens – but their reasoning for creating these is not as sinister as you think. Read the article here.

Through Social Media, Teens Learn From Others’ Stories And Stand Up For Their Beliefs

Viacom research revealed that through social media, teens experience the power of hearing others’ voices – and of using their own. Read the article here.

Teens And The Distorted Reality Of Social Media

Instagram, Snapchat, Photoshop and special filters have created an aura of plastic beauty that makes our girls and boys feel less than, every second they scroll down their smartphone’s screen.

Read the full article here.