This year has been the year for video calling apps, where the pandemic has caused people to stay indoors and communicate with each other through these video calling apps. Although video calling apps like Zoom has proved to be a blessing for people who are working professionally and also to communicate with their loved ones, as per research, it has also led to a problem called “Zoom Dysmorphia“. As per experts, people spending more time on the virtual platform are getting affected by the assumption of the self-image they are portraying in front of others.
Due to this, there has been a spike in people getting a facial treatment, which was not required before using this platform. In a journal for Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine, the authors have mentioned that ever since the shift to a remote working condition has increased during the pandemic, people have started viewing themselves in a different way virtually. As per the researchers, “A recent analysis of Google search trends during the pandemic showed the terms ‘acne’ and ‘hair loss’ are increasing in this new virtual reality. We suspect the trend may also arise from people constantly seeing themselves on video and becoming more aware of their appearance.”
It is not the first time people have been facing such issues. Ever since the emergence of various filters for images and selfies have started trending, users have been trying to make themselves virtually more attractive, leading to low self-confidence in their appearance when they meet someone personally.