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The use of artificial intelligence on social media has become detrimental to the mental health of female college students, as celebrities, influencers and other social media users use AI to edit their photos to make them look thinner, lighter and conventionally attractive. Users enhance images on social media through the use of AI by doing skin smoothing and retouching, facial feature enhancement, background editing, lighting and color adjustments, resolution upscaling, AI filters and AI effects. Popular AI applications and tools used to make these photo edits include YouCam, Remaker and Photogrid.
When asked to create an image of a “conventionally attractive female college student,” Bing AI Image Generator created four images, each woman having many traits in common with the others. All four women portrayed are thin, smiling and wearing subtle makeup. Other traits they have in common is that they have light, fair skin; round, almond eyes; long, luscious hair; petite noses; thin eyebrows and basic schoolgirl clothing. Three out of the four women pictured have dark hair, dark eyes and have their hands posed in a feminine nature. The images created of “conventionally attractive” women reflect what many women strive to look like, as 65% of female college students at Ohio University work out to meet beauty standards.
To broaden the perspective of what artificial intelligence views beauty as, Bing AI Image Generator was asked to create an image of an “unconventional unattractive female college student.” In response, the generator created four images, the results showing nine women, with seven out of nine women having one important common trait: they are women of color. While the image generator also generated two images of women of color, the women portrayed had a lighter complexion and were both of eastern-Asian descent. The college students who were deemed unattractive are of various races, five of which being darker-skinned women. The women also have larger noses; small eyes; large, unkempt teeth and thick eyebrows. So why does artificial intelligence believe thinner, lighter-skinned women are more attractive? This is due to women using artificial intelligence to make images of themselves look thinner and lighter-skinned.
Below are the Bing AI Image Generator prompts and results:
It is important for all body types to be represented and shown on social media, yet the increased use of artificial intelligence over the years has caused most women to edit their photos so that their bodies and faces look the same as the standard. 45% of female college students at Ohio University say their body type is rarely shown in the media, yet social media is used by billions of users who have an array of body types. However, the people social media users see the most on different media platforms are celebrities, including actors and music artists. Most, if not all, movies now use facial retouching and de-aging AI to make actors’ faces look younger and smoother. AI face and body retouching is heavily used on actresses, despite 60% of Hollywood actresses already having undergone plastic surgery to keep their youthful looks according to Dr. Raj Kanodia on Medindia. Some celebrities are open about undergoing plastic surgery, such as Scarlet Johnasson, but many hide having undergone the procedure. This creates an unhealthy expectation for women, especially young female college students, as the women people see on TV screens create an unrealistic and unhealthy beauty standard that is physically unachievable, yet 60% of female college students at OU say they feel pressured to change their body and looks to meet this standard.
Cultivation theory implies that “those exposed to media interpret social realities according to how such realities are portrayed in the media.” However, the reality of what is being portrayed in the media is being heavily altered due to the increased use of artificial intelligence. AI-driven platforms, such as X and Instagram, can act as a “cultivation system.” AI-enhanced social media platforms amplify beauty ideals that are unrealistic, as the images that are promoted are often not completely authentic or real. Social media applications are more likely to promote heavily edited images, as most social media applications incorporate artificial intelligence in daily user activity. Some sites such as X or TikTok directly tell users they are more likely to receive engagement or monetization if they use different AI filters or creation generators in their posts.
While many users denied the use of artificial intelligence at first, many have started to use AI filters and editing tools to fit in and conform with what influencers deem to be popular and attractive. Platforms such as Instagram heavily influence users’ weight-related attitude and behaviors. Instagram Reels presents users with content the platform believes the users may enjoy, based on what type of content a user consumes, who the user follows, what the user’s friends have liked, how long the user interacts with certain types of content, how long the user spends in the comment section, etc. A key influence of a user’s Instagram Reels page is how long the user spends in the comment section, and many users spend more time in the comment sections of posts that upset them, such as body-image posts. This causes users to see more body-image videos, whether they are videos that shame larger, unattractive women or videos that promote unrealistic body standards. This algorithm is controlled by artificial intelligence, which creates and reinforces harmful stereotypes and ideals for Instagram users. AI-controlled algorithms such as Instagram Reels’ algorithm are common, found on most, if not all, social media platforms.
How often do you think you interact with artificial intelligence? Below is a survey link so information can be gathered on how much college students interact with artificial intelligence:
Artificial Intelligence Interactivity Survey
Almost everyone interacts with artificial intelligence multiple times each day, whether they are knowledgeable about it or not. According to Pew Research Center, 27% of Americans report they use AI several times a day, while another 30% say they engage with it daily. However, experts on artificial intelligence from Pew Research Center report that 79% of Americans interact with artificial intelligence several times a day, with another 17% of Americans engaging with it around once a day. Most are unaware of how much they AI in their daily routines. Fitness trackers, like Apple watches; smart home devices, such as the Amazon Echo or Apple Homepod; and email spam filters all heavily rely on AI. When agreeing to the terms and conditions on many applications, most users do not notice they agree to the use of artificial intelligence. Most web browsers automatically apply the use of artificial intelligence, then offering users the ability to turn it off. Any device that includes “smart” in the beginning of its name usually uses AI in its function. Due to how often people use and interact with artificial intelligence, especially in the United States of America, it is easy for cultivation theory to be applied in how AI influences the body images of female college students. Artificial intelligence’s increasing use on social media users’ posts creates a social reality that you must look like the popular, conventionally attractive influencers, or else you are not beautiful enough.
An article for JOUR 4130 Gender, Race, and Class with Dr. Janice Collins.
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