Is Fake The New Real?

Instagram. I'm all for it! Although I don't post consistently on it, double tapping might as well be my best friend! But, the headline does give you a sense of what it's like on there from time to time; fake being real, and that's without me talking about the topic I actually have at hand.

If you use Instagram, which I'm guessing you probably do, we are continuously inundated with images of superficial happiness, seemingly un-achievable body types, and food that not only makes those body types difficult to achieve, nine times out of ten, the food is impossible to make and looks like a hot bowl of something inedible. *Sigh*. But in true Instagram fashion, something new seems to slowly becoming a trend and to be totally honest, I'm in two minds about it.

It's models. And I'm not talking about human models, although they can occasionally be problematic in themselves for many reasons. I'm talking about computer generated females that for a while had people stumped as to whether they were real or fake.

As per usual, I'm late to this, but these 'Com-Mods' as I like to call them, don clothing from brands some of us only dream of being able to afford, are photogenic to envious levels and seem to be able to pose for the godssss!

They are a particular type of art form. And that's why I have an appreciation for them. Additionally, since they are not human, the sky is the limit in regards to the content their creator posts; which can I say should be the case for all accounts. Plus, 'Com-Mods' are not new. Take Hatsune Miku, created in Japan as a humanoid persona, who quickly rose to fame as a musician. What I do find interesting is lilmiquela is also an artist and has been compared to Hatsune Miku. Maybe computer generated artists is the new direction of music? But I digress. When taking being an artist out of the equation, the stark difference between Hatsune Miku and both lilmiquela and opalslutuniverse is that the creators of the latter two have chosen to design them with the human form in mind.

This is where a part of me feels creeped out. I find it slightly disturbing that these accounts are gaining as much popularity are they are; I imagine this is a first for many in regards to how they are both marketed to emulate the lives of many, and people are intrigued and curious as the comments suggest. I also think that these pages will continue to perpetuate this standard image of women in regards to body types. One good thing I have to say is that both of the accounts host 'Com-Mods' of colour.

I do get it, times are changing and technology is progressing. I also understand that this type of art is fresh and inclusive of today's generation, i.e. me, because I am very much feeling the aesthetic of these two. What I not necessarily fear, but am concerned about is their lack of relatability in terms of how incredibly real they seem. I like being able to differentiate between real and fake. I like when social media influencers have a warm moment of realness with their followers, I admire when they share a period of reality of their "broadcast it to the world" life, how ever boring it may be for some. But I personally don't get that feeling from these accounts. To me, all the pop culture in the world could be pumped into it and I still get the sense of "this feels too fake, even for Instagram".

I guess all types of social media has a tendency to sweep people away in the moment and you don't really get a chance to break away from that until you realise that pleasing social media has become your main goal in life. I feel that these 'Com-Mods' are the new version of that. Whether or not everyone and their mother will have a 'Com-Mod' who knows. I could be over exaggerating. But one thing is for sure, 'Com-Mods' aren't going anywhere.

Carla Creary xo

*Disclaimer: All photos and videos for this post belong to their rightful owners. I do not own any of the attached images or videos.