In Constant Search of "Like": How Technology and Social Media Influence the Perception of our Body

Abstract

We live in a world where each of us is constantly surrounded by the influence of social networks that represent daily points of reference with which we interact. The perception of our body is determined by three main views: the view we ourselves have of our body, the view we have of our body when looking in the mirror and the perception of how others see our body. The combination of these three points of view manages to establish the relationship that each of us has with our body. Plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine are means that in recent decades have made it possible to resolve bodily discomforts. During this pandemic period, social networks have been a resource that has allowed us to stay as close as possible. We must always keep in mind that each of us has their own characteristics and external beauty is never perfection, but represents harmony of proportions and the interaction between the external and internal spheres. The "beauty effects" linked to the filters of social networks represent only an ideal world that deviates from the reality we live and therefore represent unattainable circumstances. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Keywords: Plastic surgery; Quality of life; Social network.