Use of filters to enhance selfies is widespread in India: Google Report

A global study conducted by Google has found that the use of filters to enhance selfies is widespread in India and the United States.

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According to the study, Indian respondents, unlike Germany, expressed low levels of concern about the impact of filters on their children’s wellbeing. The study also noted that the filter used for beautification purposes is highly normalised and socially accepted in South Korea. 

"More than 70 per cent of the photos taken on an Android device use the front-facing camera, Indians are active selfie takers and sharers, and they consider filters a useful tool in enhancing their appearance and presenting their best self," it said.

"Indian women, in particular, are enthusiastic about their ability to beautify their images, and they make use of a variety of filtering apps and editing tools to achieve a desired look." The most popular filter apps are PicsArt and Makeup Plus; Snapchat is used by younger users (age 29 and under), it said.  

"The selfie-taking and sharing is such a big part of Indian women’s lives that it affects their behaviour and even household economics: several women reported that they never wear the same dress again if they had taken a selfie in it," it said.

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"As a young women reported, ‘I told my mom, I’ll never wear this dress again because I posted a selfie in it. She said, ‘do you think money comes from the trees?’" the study said.

The study also said that the quality of the phone camera is very important to Indian users, Men and women in India reacted positively to having automatic beautification function on their phone's cameras.