Embedded Files
This page presents a curated selection of my engagement with media, science communication initiatives, and public-facing activities
Research with Public Engagement
National Survey on Body Image and Face Filters on Instagram (Brazil)
National Survey on Body Image and Face Filters on Instagram (Brazil)
We conducted a national survey in Brazil as part of our doctoral research investigating how Instagram users engage with facial filters, visual self-presentation practices, and platform-mediated beauty standards, and how these dynamics relate to body image and digital vulnerability.
The study involved more than 400 Brazilian participants aged 18 to 65 and was based on a cross-sectional design using validated psychometric instruments. Data were collected nationwide through an online questionnaire and analyzed from a sociotechnical perspective, conceptualizing digital vulnerability as a relational condition shaped by platform affordances, algorithmic visibility, and aesthetic normativity.
Key findings indicate that:
Appearance-based social comparison on Instagram is strongly associated with facial dissatisfaction among users;
Facial filter use is linked to increased internalization of normative beauty standards and greater acceptance of aesthetic procedures;
Time spent on Instagram predicts higher engagement with filters, appearance comparison behaviors, and openness to surgical and non-surgical aesthetic interventions;
These relationships reflect an ambivalent dynamic in which filters simultaneously enable self-expression and reinforce pressures toward aesthetic conformity.
The full empirical results and analytical models derived from this national survey are published in the peer-reviewed article Impacts of facial filters on Instagram: self-image, digital vulnerability, and aesthetic standards in Brazil, authored by Jenifer Grieger, Lídia Oliveira, and Rodrigo Botelho-Francisco, in Current Psychology
Research team: Dr. Jenifer Grieger (Federal University of Paraná / University of Aveiro), Dr. Lídia Oliveira (University of Aveiro), and Dr. Rodrigo Botelho-Francisco (Federal University of Paraná).
This study was approved by the UFPR Ethics Committee (CAAE: 78608524.5.0000.0214).
Media Appearances & Expert Commentary
“From Screens to Clinics: Hyper-Realistic Filters Fuel the Pursuit of an Unattainable Beauty Ideal”
(original article in Portuguese)
Participated as an expert researcher in this in-depth Portuguese-language feature article examining how the widespread use of hyper-realistic beauty filters on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok is reshaping self-perception and intensifying the demand for cosmetic and dermatological procedures, particularly among young people.
My contribution draws on academic research on digital vulnerability, algorithmic aesthetics, and body image, addressing how augmented and filtered images blur the boundaries between reality and simulation. The article explores how these technologies elevate unattainable beauty standards, foster dissatisfaction with one’s physical appearance, and normalize the translation of digitally produced aesthetics into clinical interventions.
The report further discusses the racialized and gendered dimensions of beauty filters, highlighting how certain effects fail to operate adequately on darker skin tones or reproduce Eurocentric facial standards through skin lightening and facial reshaping. These processes contribute to the reinforcement of structural inequalities within digital platforms and expand the understanding of vulnerability in visually driven online environments.
Science Communication
Podcast Revista AtoZ (in Portuguese):
https://open.spotify.com/show/0F38EJ8cMzXj9rgudC2ZgV
Podcast Revista AtoZ - Editorial work in science communication (initiative in Portuguese)
Podcast Revista AtoZ - Editorial work in science communication (initiative in Portuguese)
As Scientific Marketing Editor of the peer-reviewed journal AtoZ – New Practices in Information and Knowledge, I was an active member of the editorial and communication team throughout 2021, contributing to the design, launch, and dissemination strategy of the Podcast Revista AtoZ. My participation preceded my doctoral mobility period at the University of Aveiro (Portugal).
In addition to my editorial responsibilities, I also participated as a podcaster, contributing to episodes dedicated to science communication, scientific dissemination, and the popularization of scientific knowledge. The podcast features interviews with authors published in AtoZ as well as discussions on topics relevant to graduate students and early-career researchers, including academic publishing, open science practices, and the challenges of producing science in Brazil.
Developed as part of the UFPR extension project Open Science and Scientific Information Management, the podcast expanded the journal’s public reach by distributing scientific content across ten major podcast platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and YouTube. The initiative reinforces the journal’s commitment to open science, public engagement, and the circulation of scientific knowledge beyond academic environments.
Podcasts & Digital Media
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse