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At this point, Instagram looks like an alternate universe. A place governed by its own laws. A place, where the ultimate creator is photo editing software.

In fact, it's so full of fake influencers, there's even a subreddit dedicated to calling them out, r/InstagramReality. "Social media is a breeding ground for Facetune and Photoshop," the online community writes on its page. "It's unbelievable how some people get away with it while others don't!"

These Internet detectives are on the quest to expose those who have taken it too far: guys who make their biceps so big, they warp the space-time continuum, women with skin so smooth, you can't tell where they chin ends and their necks begin, they're all here.

When you're done scrolling, check out our earlier articles on the subreddit here, here, and here.

#1

I'm Calling Emergency Services. This Injury Is Serious

I'm Calling Emergency Services. This Injury Is Serious

zznnd Report

In an earlier piece on r/InstagramReality, Bored Panda spoke to Siobhan Ward, a primary therapist at Life Works, a rehabilitation center that provides treatment for addictions and eating disorders, about the scope of social media addiction in the United Kingdom.

"If you broke 'social media addiction' down into categories, it would encompass other process or behavioral addictions such as porn and gambling, as well as eating disorders, especially predominant with the likes of Instagram," Ward explained. "It may be that the addiction is not with the social media itself, but the social media has become a tool of other addictions."

The therapist thinks people can't stop faking and editing their Instagram photos (even when it's an obvious lie) because of brain chemistry. "Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that comes into play with the addict — it is what tells us that we enjoy something and therefore need to do it again as it gives us pleasure."

"If the person is taking a lot of selfies that have to be 'perfect', then maybe they are not addicts. Instead, this could be a sign of a possible narcissistic personality disorder. Also, if someone is posting pictures to get as many likes as possible, they may not be getting certain needs met in their life. They may not have the love, support, or even safety that they need now or that they needed when they grew up and therefore have had to find another way to fill that hole," Ward said.

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Interestingly, being reminded that social media is fake can also 'fill' us. In a 2019 study, researchers decided to investigate the effect 'Instagram vs. Reality' pictures (the ones containing side-by-side photographs of the same woman, one an idealized depiction and the other a more natural depiction) have on body image.

They got together 305 women aged between 18 and 30 years, the largest demographic group of Instagram users. The sample had a mean age of 25.34 years, and their mean body mass index (BMI) was 26.98, indicating a slightly overweight sample. The majority of participants identified as Caucasian (69.2%), followed by Latino/Hispanic (11.8%), African American (10.2%), Asian (6.6%), Native American (0.3%), and 'other' (2.0%). The participants were randomly assigned to view one of three sets of Instagram images over a period of time: 'Instagram vs. reality" images, the 'ideal' side alone, or the 'real' side alone.

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"[The study found that] viewing the 'Instagram vs. reality' and real images resulted in decreased body dissatisfaction relative to the ideal images," the researchers wrote. "Furthermore, the detrimental effects of appearance comparison were much less marked for the 'Instagram vs. reality' and real images than for the ideal images. It was concluded that 'Instagram vs. reality' and real posts have the potential to bolster women's body satisfaction, but more research is needed to assess their longer-term impact."

Siobhan Ward said that we need to become aware of what we believe we are getting from the Internet in order to start resisting its temptation. "By understanding why [we] turn to the Internet, [we] can start to think about healthier ways to meet these needs."

#10

Nearly Had A Heart Attack When I Opened Tinder This Morning

Nearly Had A Heart Attack When I Opened Tinder This Morning

reknae Report

#11

I Was Shopping Online When I Saw This Dress... And Those Shoulders...

I Was Shopping Online When I Saw This Dress... And Those Shoulders...

saithesti Report

#12

Faking Swimming With Sharks Is A Thing Now I Guess, By Blatantly Stealing A Background Image From The Internet

Faking Swimming With Sharks Is A Thing Now I Guess, By Blatantly Stealing A Background Image From The Internet

ElonTheRocketEngine Report

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yettichild avatar
Yettichild
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But wait. What IS a group of sharks called?! I must know!

melissasawicki_1 avatar
MRSS
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fun fact..... not one Hammer Head is in this pic. But she's glad she saw one.

ami-ainsworth avatar
Anonymous
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think she meant she got hit with a hammer on the head. Damn autocorrect, lol

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delphinum4 avatar
Zophra
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow. I'm more impressed how long she would have to hold her breath than her shark knowledge. (eye roll.)

kathrynbaylis_1 avatar
Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hey sweetie! How about you give actually swimming with real sharks a try? See how that works out in reality.

toabhishekverma avatar
Black Pug Puppy
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Where is her scuba gear and did she say that coconuts kill more people and sharks

jskorch87 avatar
jaysko
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They actually do. They fall on people's heads out of trees. Only legit thing she said. But yea where's the scuba gear? Just a thong bikini and a snorkel. Riiiight 😉👍

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willowsweet_1 avatar
HooowlAtTheMoon
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can't get that good of quality underwater without some really good camera, and I am highly doubting she has that good of a camera

lilyhamilton avatar
The weird one!
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

its even more sad she said "My respect fir animals is beyond me at times"

michaelcartledge_1 avatar
Mikel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think one of those coconuts she's speaking of, hit her in the head!

hallabaloo_meow avatar
Let’s All Just Try And Be Decent
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is it not ok that she potentially went swimming with sharks and DIDN'T take a picture, actually enjoyed the experience and then later made a collage to show what it was like or remember it by / tell people about the experience? I'd like to have a tiny bit of faith that this one wasn't malicious.

treforjames avatar
Gurnox
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Was she actually expecting anyone to buy that? Really?

bagladyele avatar
𝖊𝖆
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fake background aside, you can see clearly that she is not in water. Only her feet and part of her hands are slightly blue. Either she’s radioactive and emits some kind of white light, so her body isn’t blue underwater. Or that’s some bad photoshopping :D she’s just taken a photo of herself lying in a flat surface in a bikini and flippers and added it to the photo 🤦🏻‍♀️

queenmab avatar
Queen Mab
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is just flat-out deception. Granted the photo not believable on its face but why bother with such a fake.

mkultra0605 avatar
Mindy Keys
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I do appreciate her sentiment though. Most of these IG-idiots are all about themselves. At least she used her platform (cough) to try to educate about sharks. So wee points to her.

benpress avatar
Ben Press
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"We got to see a hammerhead" there is no hammerhead in the photo

heynsdesigns avatar
Shirley Heyn
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think she nailed it, "sharks are more incredible than her" and also "swimming with sharks is more surreal".

kjl01 avatar
Karen Lyon
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How does she even think she's fooling anyone with that garbage?

leepeele avatar
Craymoss
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those aren’t even hammerhead sharks, stupid ass blond..

lynnnoyes avatar
elfin
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So why isn't her hair wet? Or are the sharks on dry land, which makes a little more sense when she compares them to coconuts.

jennever52196 avatar
Bonnie Davis
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is funny cuz those are not hammerhead sharks and I've never heard of the killer coconuts!!!! 😂😂

roly54 avatar
Lynne Harbison
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These are not hammerheads...but she was swimming with them? Hammerheads are so aggressive, she would be eaten in seconds.

fabioandrelizardo avatar
fabiolous
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She didnt feel stupid enough with just the bad photoshop. She HAD to bring that bs of a description

ashleytt avatar
Bee Diaz
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What a lying, fake bitch. How can people's lives be so empty that they have to resort to this type of fakery? Get some professional help woman.

kelly-colgan avatar
Casey
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Someone just wanted to show off her ass in her thong bikini.

yoshimisugai avatar
Vermillion Ace #443
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oo; I don't know what is truly awful about this: the paragraph or the image?!

savannahmedrano19 avatar
Sav Medrano
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Especially in the caption where she says, and I quote "we got to see a hammerhead". spot the mistake lol

dean_fallingoff avatar
Dean Garner
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

'got to see a hammerhead'. Many shark in photo. No Hammerhead. You no see hammerhead. You no scuba. You no photoshop skill.

catetorrey avatar
Bubbles
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also WHY WOULD YOU WEAR A FRICKIN BIKINI WHEN SWIMMING WITH SHARKS?!

douglasturner avatar
Douglas Turner
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So you think the bikini is the problem here? What about the picture of no hammerhead shark?

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stephen-bormann avatar
htbq
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

no bubbles coming out of her at all and not to mention looking away from all the sharks.

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#14

Ok These Are Getting Ridiculous...

Ok These Are Getting Ridiculous...

_IssaViolin_ Report

#15

That Is One Giant Hand

That Is One Giant Hand

Leathermoss Report

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h_selvakumar avatar
Sel Bonda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bold lady! Seems the hand has been pretty busy with the works.

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#16

I Can’t Decide If This Is A Joke Or Someone Actually Thinks This Is Believable...

I Can’t Decide If This Is A Joke Or Someone Actually Thinks This Is Believable...

sierradwilson Report

#17

Seems Legit (It's A Real Profile From Facebook)

Seems Legit (It's A Real Profile From Facebook)

CyberBuda Report

#18

Found In The Wild - Why Would Anyone Even Post This?

Found In The Wild - Why Would Anyone Even Post This?

Mistresskatiafoxx Report

#19

Chin To Neck Transition?

Chin To Neck Transition?

Tiffbu00 Report

#20

Found On Amazon Reviews

Found On Amazon Reviews

twittlez Report

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#24

I Can’t Look Away... The Eyes, The Teeth... So Bright. The Mouth... So Large

I Can’t Look Away... The Eyes, The Teeth... So Bright. The Mouth... So Large

TheMiddleE Report

#25

This Is Not How Real Hair Looks Like Bro

This Is Not How Real Hair Looks Like Bro

Kingmenudo Report

#28

Same Girl, 10 Year Difference (In Photoshop Skills)

Same Girl, 10 Year Difference (In Photoshop Skills)

UselessBrakes Report

#29

Ahh, They Definitely Look Alike Alright

Ahh, They Definitely Look Alike Alright

"Anyone think my mom and I look alike!? I'm 22 she's 44!"

ennortz Report

#30

Was Reading An Article About Photoshop Fails On Instagram. This Was One Of The Examples

Was Reading An Article About Photoshop Fails On Instagram. This Was One Of The Examples

NoButterOnMyBread Report

Note: this post originally had 84 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.