Gender and Culture Differences in Perception of Deceptive Video Filter Use

This study investigates how Augmented Reality (AR) beauty filters affect perception of the motives and trustworthiness of a stranger in online social interaction. One-on-one Zoom interviews were conducted with 44 video filter users from five different cultural backgrounds – China, India, South Korea, Spain, and the US – about their reactions to a hypothetical scenario intended to represent a deceptive use of beauty filters. The findings of quantitative and qualitative thematic analysis suggest that beauty filter use does not strongly affect assessments of trustworthiness among young video filter users, and that it is likely to be interpreted in different – and perhaps naïve – ways, such as a lack of self-confidence. Women express more compassion and understanding toward the “deceptive” stranger, while men express more negative judgment and distrust. Culture differences do not fall neatly along East-West lines, but rather vary for different themes. The findings contrast with evidence of actual risk of deception in online environments, particularly risk to women, who are more often targets of online dating deception.