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Social media is already out of touch with reality, but artificial intelligence is exacerbating issues by producing content that is unrealistic on another level.
Picture this: It’s 11 p.m. and you’re in bed, scrolling short-form video content on TikTok. Some of the posts look just a little too perfect. Everyone has flawless skin, immaculate makeup, a perfect build — it all seems too good to be true. That’s because it is.
Most social media platforms have AI-powered filters that edit faces and figures. Some of them do it convincingly, and in real time, for livestreams. For example, TikTok’s “Bold Glamour” filter creates contoured cheekbones, smooth lips, and defined eyebrows that stay in place even if the user touches her face.
These filters set unrealistic expectations for appearances, which threatens self-perception and self-esteem. According to CNN, many creators state that they are dissatisfied with their natural appearance after seeing themselves with filters. This dissatisfaction and low self-esteem has led to a rise in teen depression and suicidal tendencies.
Another issue is generative AI. While using it may make it easier to create content, not all of it is beautiful and inspiring. Just look at the “Italian brainrot” trend of nonsensical AI-generated images such as the three-legged shark named Tralalero Tralala.
But that’s not the worst part of it. Recall the controversies over Grok AI in January after users generated nearly nude photos of celebrities, private citizens, and minors. Or the 2025 video that supposedly showed a strike on the Evin prison in Tehran, which was used by multiple media outlets before they realized it was crafted by generative AI.
Generative AI has contributed so much misinformation to social media that Henk van Ess of the Global Investigative Journalism Network wrote a guide to help journalists detect AI content. If journalists mistrust what they see, then the general uninformed public is hardly better off. According to Gallup polls, only 28% of U.S. adults trust mass media to report news accurately. Thanks to generative AI, people mistrust real photos and videos. Fake media certainly won’t help news credibility.
Ultimately, AI is here to stay in social media. But how we deal with it is our decision. We can consume it and lose ourselves to a false reality, or we can reject it and seek out meaningful human connections and content. What matters is our choice to call it out when we see it for the fake, cheap media it is.
Samuel Falkowski is a junior studying rhetoric and media.
