They think it makes them artistic, because, let's face it, your lunch sandwich doesn't look all that different from the other 2,587,243 sandwiches posted in the last hour.

Where it really irks the snot out of me is in real estate listing photos, which seems to be a growing trend. I don't want to see "art"; I want to see the darned house.

Yeah, it's just an "artistic" endeavor. I have fun playing around with the filters on IG, and have managed to produce some pretty odd-looking photos myself. I agree with writersblock. I hate the real estate photos that are tweaked so much (and so badly) that you can't tell get an accurate feel for the space at all. The photographer who shot our previous home for the listing used the lens that makes everything appear longer/wider than it really is. I hated it, but I didn't have to directly pay for the photos so didn't complain (and the house sold anyway).

My SIL looks like porcelain in most of the 'selfies' she posts on FB. Pale and smooth as glass. Kinda like a corpse. It's weird. EVERYONE knows she doesn't really look like that, so why bother?? Then occasionally she won't filter one, or someone else will post a picture of her, and it literally doesn't look like the same person. Bizarre. I don't get it either.

I (fortunately) haven't seen too many of them, but what cracks me up is the 'model' photos people post of themselves. Seriously? I have a former classmate who posts one of those old glamour-shots (remember those?) from probably 25 or so years and 50-pounds ago that she uses as her FB profile pic. Believe me, she looks absolutely nothing remotely like that irl. Another acquaintance constantly takes pouty selfies and changes up her FB photo with the newest one. She's cute, but she's also nearly 50 and married with 3 kids. Come on just post your real self!

Ah, but there's nothing new about that, OutsidePlaying. I can remember being at a harp conference in the pre-internet days and one of the performers at one of the concerts looked around at the group and remarked, "I'm really happy to see that I'm not the only one here still using that 20-year old promo photo." :-)

Nothing new, just more access to it and a larger audience. In fact, the new profile pic I uploaded earlier today has an ethereal glow filter added to it. I don't do FB or IG or Twitter but DH has recently discovered FB (roll eyes) and he showed me a couple of pictures of some of our nieces and asked me if I knew why they looked like they did...Enlarged eyes and a pointy chin. They were almost unrecognizable. I didn't know which filter they used but told him it's just post processing gone wild! Any picture can be helped with some post processing tweaks and you have every right to do with your photos as you please if you haven't been hired to record history as it happened (or implement someone else) but some of these "selfies" have really gone too far!

I am kind of surprised that it upsets people to see a profile photo that isn't a perfect likeness. I don't usually use photos of myself (hate them!) but on a rare occasion, I use a photo of me with one of my (now passed) dogs. It was from almost 20 yr ago but I love the photo and the memories it reflects. Otherwise, I use something seasonal, temporal or a character that reflects my current state of mind. I've used Hit Girl (from Kick-ass), David Bowie, a painting of Ganesha, Winnie the Pooh, and (currently) the Statue of Liberty. I doubt I'd post a bunch of photos of myself even if I was young, thin and hot.

Some of my nieces use the silly filters that distort their faces-- or those that swap features with another person. It's all in good fun and they laugh a bunch while doing it. No harm there. We need more giggles in the world.

Funky, I agree with you on something obviously historical, brings back memories of good times past, or something that is done for fun and brings laughs. I've seen those too and they are fun. Maybe I sounded harsh about it but the odd looking photos vs reality bug me.

well, I should have also said that i'd NEVER post a glamour shot (not that I'd ever have had one done!) :)

Funky, I tried to find before and after examples of what I see in my feed but couldn't find any good examples. Like others mentioned, it's not artistic or fun. It just looks like really bad photoshop. smh nailed it - whatever filter it is, it makes a middle aged woman look like a corpse

1. People who post a thousand pictures of themselves are even getting bored and think special effects make the pictures more interesting. It doesn't.

2. People think using the latest filters or special effects make them seem young and hip because it's what all the cool kids, aka teenagers, are doing.

I shake my head at the number of out of focus and/or poorly framed shots people put on Facebook. But I am amazed by how many people will then 'like' the blurry picture. Just because you took a photo, that doesn't mean you can't delete it from your phone or that you have to post it.