Are the images we post on Instagram ageist?

Plenty of people today live their lives in search of the perfect image to share on Instagram. But how many Instagram moments are truly representative of real life? The photo-sharing social networking site allows us to use filters and other digital tools to present an unrealistic view of how we look. And overwhelmingly, the images we see in our feeds from marketers are of young—or at least young-looking—people. This suggests that the ideal is to be young, and this can easily instil in people the feeling that they are only of value if they look a certain way and are under a certain age.

It's well-known that many women begin to feel invisible as they get older. A 2017 US study on body image and aging in women over 50 (Hofmeier et al, 2017) reported that more than half of respondents said they experienced a sense of invisibility and irrelevance. Does Instagram increase these feelings with its relentless stream of youthful good looks?