Be careful when "following the trend" of transforming into a mermaid on Tiktok

TikTok has recently spread a new trend of transforming into mermaids using filters or pre-made video templates. With just a few steps, users can become shimmering under the ocean, wearing shimmering fish tails like in fairy tales. However, behind these beautiful effects are worrying signs: aesthetic deviation, psychological impact and the risk of deviant imitation, even legal consequences that many people have not yet foreseen.

In recent days, when browsing Tiktok, users can easily come across countless video clips following the trend of "transforming into mermaids". Accordingly, users only need to perform a few simple operations such as accessing the AI ​​Mermaid effect on the Tiktok application, clicking to use, recording a live video or selecting an available photo/video to upload to be able to create a "transformation" video with a shimmering, magical ocean effect and melodious background music.

Therefore, in just a short time, this trend spread across TikTok with millions of videos tagged with hashtags - phrases or words added to social media posts such as: #MermaidTrend, #MermaidChallenge, #MermaidTransformation...

Videos of people "following the trend" of transforming into mermaids appear frequently on Tiktok and are welcomed and shared by many young people on social networking platforms.

The trend has also quickly "landed" in Vietnam, attracting many young Tiktokers and social media users to participate. No need for makeup, no need to swim, just choose a pre-made beauty filter to transform into a beautiful mermaid in seconds.

The interesting and diverse point of this trend is that, with each individual and different image/clip content, the "transformation" results will also have many unique features, depending on the original context provided by the user, this further stimulates the curiosity and excitement of the online community, especially for those who are passionate about creating content.

Nguyen Thi Hai, Dong Tam ward, Vinh Yen city shared: “I saw many friends sharing videos of beautiful mermaid transformations so I was curious to try. After accessing the Tiktok application, I uploaded the image and waited for a short time to have a sparkling, satisfactory product. After posting the transformation video on social networking platforms, I also received a lot of “likes” and compliments from friends so I felt very happy.”

Not only does this trend “fascinate” female users, it also attracts a large number of “men”. Many famous and influential people also do not miss this popular “trend”.

However, this trend also has some potential risks related to health, psychology, and even legal trouble. According to some technology experts, in fact, there are many AI technologies that help Tiktok users "transform" their faces.

Today’s beauty filters are integrated with sophisticated AI. They not only smooth the skin or change the hair color, but also restructure the user’s entire face, from the size of the eyes, nose, chin, to the skin and virtual lighting. When users use them continuously, the brain begins to record the edited image as a “beauty standard”. This is a very dangerous form of “virtual shaping”.

When abusing this technology, some filters in AI technology require accurate facial recognition, which can collect biometric information without the user's knowledge. If this data is misused, it will pose privacy risks, serve counterfeiting behaviors, unlock security on many applications, and even through deepfake technology (splicing other people's faces and images into videos) to commit illegal acts.

In addition to the risk of data leaks, psychologists also warn about the psychological illusion of app users about their appearance. According to experts, the overuse of transformation effects, especially videos that transform beauty or idealize body shape, can cause negative comparisons, body image obsession and reduced self-confidence, especially among young people.

The trend of transforming into a mermaid or any character can cause a feeling of disappointment and lack of confidence if users get too caught up in “virtual beauty”. When images through filters become the ideal model, it can easily make young people lose their true feelings and lack confidence in themselves.

Experts recommend that, to protect themselves from the increasingly diverse and attractive trends on social networking platforms, users should not send clear portrait photos or videos to unreliable platforms; minimize granting access to applications, sharing personal phone locations to unnecessary applications; do not share personal information on unauthenticated applications; set up 2-layer security for social networking accounts, banks or private applications...

From a psychological perspective, users, especially young people, need to have the ability to control their emotions when using social networks. Always understand that filter tools are just entertainment tools, not a measure of personal value. Using social networks, especially trends, is to stimulate creative values, not to take advantage of them to create pressure for yourself. Instead, users should always respect their own values ​​and beauty.

Article and photos: Huyen Linh

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/129562/Can-trong-khi-“du-trend”-hoa-than-thanh-nang-tien-ca-tren-Tiktok