How do we handle with “filters”?

Recently, a blogger’s complaint about the “filtered spots” on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese app) drew a lot of attention, as it stemmed from a blue cottage in Sanya’s Qingshuiwan (Clear Water Bay) which was mentioned as a “secret spot for awesome photos”. But it was only after a visit that the so-called secret spot was nothing more than a run-down hut. Some bloggers commented that photographs could vary in different weather conditions, at different camera angles, and combined with editing. Exactly, photographs can be aesthetically managed, and we also edit them in everyday life to make them look more vibrant. However, perhaps the reason why the issue of “filtered spots” has been so discussed and empathised with is not that people don’t like filters, but rather that it detracts from modest beautification which creates a false appearance of being exquisite.

Where does the false appearance come from?
Xiaohongshu is a platform for sharing exquisite life, and in the beginning many people preferred to keep some beautiful moments of their life with it. It would be a small world of people sharing and seeing all sorts of different and colourful things. Now when people think of it, there’s nearly nothing more than pretty makeup, trendy outfits and poster-style photographs that edited with filters over and over again.

Why are there so many “filtered spots”?
For one thing, travelling has become difficult because of the pandemic. By using particular angles and special filters, with the tag “affordable overseas attractions”, you can “discover” countless “Little Switzerland” around Beijing, and various “Little Kamakura” around Chengdu, and a random beach becomes a “Little Maldives” or “Little Santorini”. Places that were once completely unknown can be transformed into popular sight spots among young travellers, just with a few unrealistic pictures and literary-style text.

For another, it comes from the internet trend, where filters have become almost a norm for internet content in order to show the most perfect images. Moreover, driven by video clips and new social media platforms, nowadays, no matter what you do or where you go, if you don’t get a group of satisfactory photos, it’s hardly the same as have done or been there.

In fact, we all have the pursuit of “beauty”, but the deliberate fabrication of aesthetics or filters is essentially about following the current stream, rather than enjoying the beauty. The slogan of Xiaohongshu is “mark my life”, after the blind faith to the stream and the over-editing of the photos, the life marked by many people are not what they have presented. It is understandable that people always want to show some best parts of things, but out of screen, I also hope we can see the world through our own eyes and become one of those people who can take the initiative to find the ordinary and reliable happiness.