The extreme popularity of live streams and the growing amount of money those broadcasts move have only multiplied the demands for physical beauty, especially within the Chinese market. The use of dynamic filters and digital facade of some "stars" has been floating around the Web for months, but it was exposed again when streamer Qiao Biluo suffered a technical glitch, and was forced to reveal to her audience that she was a 58-year-old woman…
A couple of years ago we talked about Snapchat filters and how they work. It was only a matter of time before other platforms offered similar visual tricks, and as algorithms improved, their implementation on live streams became a reality. The problem is that this practice got out of control, with particular intensity in Chinese streaming systems. If you don't believe me, check out what the South China Morning Post published in April:
Now, the algorithms are just one part of the equation. These streamers use strange, exaggerated makeup to modify and "optimize" what each filter delivers. With a huge amount of extra shadow on their faces, necks, and shoulders, the filters have better references to work with. In the end, the deception is twofold: The streamers trick the filters, and the filters trick the audience.
The latest case was particularly spectacular because the collapse happened live. Qiaobiluo Dianxia, or "Her Highness Qiao Biluo", is a streamer with over 100,000 followers on Douyu (something like a Chinese Twitch). Qiao Biluo was in the middle of a collaboration with another streamer named Qingzi when her lie fell apart. The beautiful and charismatic celebrity turned out to be a 58-year-old woman. (Personal note: Qingzi uses filters too.)
As expected, her fans reacted very badly at first, but in the following days there was something of a rebound effect due to the video going viral, and available information suggests that the real Qiao Biluo multiplied her follower count by six.
Is anything going to change in the immediate future? Probably not... but China doesn't hesitate when it makes a decision, whether it's surveilling its population or banning a specific type of content. To be continued.
Source: Global Times
Source: Kotaku
