Boom. Suddenly you are Insta-Fame. This surreal phenomenon of our digital age has happened to Johanna Jaskowska. Last week, the 26-year-old multi-talent followed close friends, family, a few interested strangers. Now there are more than 135,000 people - and the number is growing every second. Everyone wants to dip their face into virtual vaseline and make it sparkle with light effects. Everyone wants to stylize themselves with their face filters Beauty3000 , Zoufriya and Blast to beautiful plastic cyborg beings. Johanna Jaskowska has managed to give our self-loving generation a layer of unconventionality that has fallen somewhere between cat, rabbit and dog ears.
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We met the Internet aficionado living in Berlin to talk about narcissism, cyborgs and beauty. Besides, she has revealed how we can all manage to follow in her footsteps.First of all, the question that everyone asks themselves: how did you come up with the idea of developing these three filters, which are even used by @uglyworldwide ?
Beauty plays a big role in augmented reality filters. But beauty does not automatically mean make-up. I am strongly influenced by photography, cinema and futuristic things. For example, when you think about photography, it's the perfect light that makes the model even more beautiful. With AR you can fake this light. That's exactly what I wanted to play with the filters. It all started when I tried how the processes work - first on Facebook, then on Instagram. My first Instagram filter was made for my girlfriend Zoufriya , who likes to put black eyes on photos.With so many new followers, do you feel like you're under great pressure to deliver something new ?
Not really in terms of my work. I know that I will still do the same things that I have done before - rather when it comes to communication. I want to listen to everyone, to answer everybody, but I can not because it takes so much time. So many people contact me and want to work with me. That makes me happy, but first I have to find out for myself what I really want to do.Why do you think that you have hit such a nerve with these three filters?
Most of what we see in terms of filters today has to do with making a cat's face. Or you have these beauty filters, where you suddenly have super-long eyelashes and bright red lips. My filters are different. It's just a thin layer on your face that creates this beautiful effect. Because what's up with filters? To the users. In addition, with the filters they have the opportunity to experiment with light themselves, which they usually only see with photographers. With the filters you become a model yourself.
Beauty plays a big role in augmented reality filters. But beauty does not automatically mean make-up. I am strongly influenced by photography, cinema and futuristic things. For example, when you think about photography, it's the perfect light that makes the model even more beautiful. With AR you can fake this light. That's exactly what I wanted to play with the filters. It all started when I tried how the processes work - first on Facebook, then on Instagram. My first Instagram filter was made for my girlfriend Zoufriya , who likes to put black eyes on photos.With so many new followers, do you feel like you're under great pressure to deliver something new ?
Not really in terms of my work. I know that I will still do the same things that I have done before - rather when it comes to communication. I want to listen to everyone, to answer everybody, but I can not because it takes so much time. So many people contact me and want to work with me. That makes me happy, but first I have to find out for myself what I really want to do.Why do you think that you have hit such a nerve with these three filters?
Most of what we see in terms of filters today has to do with making a cat's face. Or you have these beauty filters, where you suddenly have super-long eyelashes and bright red lips. My filters are different. It's just a thin layer on your face that creates this beautiful effect. Because what's up with filters? To the users. In addition, with the filters they have the opportunity to experiment with light themselves, which they usually only see with photographers. With the filters you become a model yourself.
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You already mentioned that the users play a big role. In your bio there is "There's no filter without you". A pretty self-explanatory message, but what is really behind it?
It used to be "I'm not a robot", but when people started reposting the filters, I wanted to communicate more in my bio. Everyone suddenly thought that they liked my filters - and I wanted to thank them. The filters are not about the filters but about the people. I just give them a tool to help them do something for themselves.What does the extreme use of filters say about our society?
That today people are concerned with self-marketing. Be beautiful, present yourself in the best light. Narcissism. It has different facets: be it because you present your body, showcase your work or your sense of humor. Every single feature of your personality can be used for it. This is not bad in itself, but sometimes spontaneity is lost. There is a known theory that your "real" and your digital selves can be completely different. But somehow it's cool that in virtual life you have the opportunity to create your own personality completely.Is that what fascinates you about your work with filters?
I am very interested in social experimentation and observe how people behave in different situations. I like creating things, presenting them to people and seeing what they do with them. And then analyze the whole thing. For example how to use my filters. People are so different, have different tastes and behaviors, communicate differently, are so diverse. This social context fascinates me in my work. In my work always a good dose of humor and some social criticism.
It used to be "I'm not a robot", but when people started reposting the filters, I wanted to communicate more in my bio. Everyone suddenly thought that they liked my filters - and I wanted to thank them. The filters are not about the filters but about the people. I just give them a tool to help them do something for themselves.What does the extreme use of filters say about our society?
That today people are concerned with self-marketing. Be beautiful, present yourself in the best light. Narcissism. It has different facets: be it because you present your body, showcase your work or your sense of humor. Every single feature of your personality can be used for it. This is not bad in itself, but sometimes spontaneity is lost. There is a known theory that your "real" and your digital selves can be completely different. But somehow it's cool that in virtual life you have the opportunity to create your own personality completely.Is that what fascinates you about your work with filters?
I am very interested in social experimentation and observe how people behave in different situations. I like creating things, presenting them to people and seeing what they do with them. And then analyze the whole thing. For example how to use my filters. People are so different, have different tastes and behaviors, communicate differently, are so diverse. This social context fascinates me in my work. In my work always a good dose of humor and some social criticism.
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What I also find fascinating is the potential that lies in the face filters. You could become a new art platform …
Absolute. You have so many different options. But when you think about the face: the eyes, the mouth, the smile, the expression. These are all triggers that can trigger a specific function. I've already thought about creating animated posters and experimenting more with direction graphic designs. For example, if you smile, the typography may be distorted, or if you blink, the color will change. I want to change the way we interact with existing things. In a way, filters also give us an ultimate sense of anonymity, in a world where CCTV lurks around every corner.
Exactly, they are like a mask. And masks have existed in our culture for a long time. You only have to look at the African culture, where masks were used as a means of communication. The Internet gives us today the opportunity to use masks in a new form.Do you think there might be something like real-life-face-filters in the future?
That could be possible, but then we would have to carry a device in our eyes that puts this digital flat on people. If you think about Black Mirror - and the consequence of blocking people - it might eventually happen. If I suddenly saw everyone around me with various digital animations or masks, I'm not sure I'd like the interaction any more. But it could definitely be interesting for an experiment or a performance. AR could be more adapted to our cities in the future. For example, we could use an augmented reality app that shows us the way through the streets through a camera. However, I do not know if people are ready to wear these freaky glasses permanently.But we are already half cyborgs through our mobile phones.
I love movies like Bladerunner and Ghost in the Shell and would like to be half a robot myself. Then I would have a chip in my arm that could open my doors. That would be nice because I would never have to worry about losing my keys again.The possibilities of face filters are far from exhausted. Can we also participate without having appropriate training?
Facebook has developed the great tool, Spark AR Studio. If people want to try these things, I recommend downloading this software and following the Spark AR Creators group on Facebook. The more people communicate on this platform, the better the software gets. The community discusses, gives feedback, input and help. At Instagram, however, only a few developers are currently officially approved. But one day that will change and everyone will have the opportunity to upload their very own filters.@johwskaThis article originally appeared on i-D DE.
Absolute. You have so many different options. But when you think about the face: the eyes, the mouth, the smile, the expression. These are all triggers that can trigger a specific function. I've already thought about creating animated posters and experimenting more with direction graphic designs. For example, if you smile, the typography may be distorted, or if you blink, the color will change. I want to change the way we interact with existing things. In a way, filters also give us an ultimate sense of anonymity, in a world where CCTV lurks around every corner.
Exactly, they are like a mask. And masks have existed in our culture for a long time. You only have to look at the African culture, where masks were used as a means of communication. The Internet gives us today the opportunity to use masks in a new form.Do you think there might be something like real-life-face-filters in the future?
That could be possible, but then we would have to carry a device in our eyes that puts this digital flat on people. If you think about Black Mirror - and the consequence of blocking people - it might eventually happen. If I suddenly saw everyone around me with various digital animations or masks, I'm not sure I'd like the interaction any more. But it could definitely be interesting for an experiment or a performance. AR could be more adapted to our cities in the future. For example, we could use an augmented reality app that shows us the way through the streets through a camera. However, I do not know if people are ready to wear these freaky glasses permanently.But we are already half cyborgs through our mobile phones.
I love movies like Bladerunner and Ghost in the Shell and would like to be half a robot myself. Then I would have a chip in my arm that could open my doors. That would be nice because I would never have to worry about losing my keys again.The possibilities of face filters are far from exhausted. Can we also participate without having appropriate training?
Facebook has developed the great tool, Spark AR Studio. If people want to try these things, I recommend downloading this software and following the Spark AR Creators group on Facebook. The more people communicate on this platform, the better the software gets. The community discusses, gives feedback, input and help. At Instagram, however, only a few developers are currently officially approved. But one day that will change and everyone will have the opportunity to upload their very own filters.@johwskaThis article originally appeared on i-D DE.