Automated Self‐Image: Exploring Noise‐Cancelling Technologies in Smartphone Cameras and Apps and Their Impact on Youth Self‐Desirability

Noise is a constant presence in the world. Whether it is visual or auditory noise, noisecancelling technologies allow individuals to customise their experience of the world. For
instance, headphones with audio noise-cancelling technology allow the user to eliminate
unwanted and unpleasant environmental sounds and listen to music on a rowdy bus or a
loud aeroplane.
Today, noise-cancelling technologies are ubiquitous in smartphones for image denoising tasks. Thanks to recent advancements in artificial intelligence, these technologies automatically eliminate unwanted visual noise (e.g., skin imperfections such as wrinkles and acne), transforming a noisy photograph (e.g., a selfie) into one that is deemed noise-free and pleasant. By 'intelligently' and automatically reconstructing parts of an image, superimposing new artificially created elements, noise-cancelling technologies offer users a noise-free image of the self that requires no editing and is ready to use. However, although these technologies provide individuals with solutions by freeing them from unwanted noise, they also affect the individuals' perception of the self
by determining automated standards of beauty and self-desirability and contributing to
body image concerns, dissatisfaction, and anxieties.
Since their recent appearance on smartphones, noise-cancelling technologies have
become an increasingly prominent feature of daily life. However, they have been
overlooked in media and visual cultural studies. Therefore, this research attempts to fill
the gap in the literature by demonstrating the personal and social implications of noisecancelling technologies. It uses as a case study the growing numbers of body image
concerns, i.e., dissatisfactions, anxieties, and disorders, among Hong Kong young adults,
which are becoming increasingly prevalent at an alarming rate. These, along with
Snapchat dysmorphic disorder, are often characterised by an excessive preoccupation
with the physical self, where individuals seek solutions (e.g., cosmetic surgery) to look
like the noise-free versions of themselves.
The research, situated at the intersection of media, visual culture, and ethnography,
employs qualitative methods with the following objectives: a) To provide a theoretical
framework for studying the personal and social implications of noise-cancelling
technologies in smartphone cameras. b) To demonstrate how these denoising procedures
influence beauty standards, body dissatisfaction, and anxieties, thereby affecting young
adults' self-image and desirability. c) To conduct an ethnographic study that generates
an exploratory qualitative dataset for evaluating new forms of self-desirability and body
image concerns among young adults in Hong Kong. d) To use these findings to organise
awareness activities for camera users.