Importance Score: 40 / 100 🔵
Viral Meme Star Returns to Spotlight with Samsung Campaign
Lucia Gorman, the young woman who became an internet phenomenon as the face of the widely-shared ‘bored nightclub’ meme, has resurfaced after seven years. Gorman, now 24, gained internet fame in 2018 when a picture from a night out at a bar in Edinburgh went viral. The now-iconic image, depicting Gorman appearing uninterested while a friend whispered to her, became one of the most recognised memes online, shared millions of times across social media platforms.
Recreating Meme Magic for Tech Campaign
Gorman is now revisiting her meme origins, recreating several popular internet memes, including the ‘Confused Math Lady’ and a meme featuring Harry Maguire. Tech giant Samsung has partnered with her to promote its innovative Best Face feature, available on the new Galaxy A56 5G smartphone. This artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology aims to correct common photographic imperfections, such as blinking eyes or awkward expressions in group photos.
Samsung Highlights Common Photo Blunders
In the recreated meme images, Gorman is shown squinting, blinking and sneezing. These depictions highlight Samsung’s research findings that indicate blinking (36%), awkward facial expressions during posed shots (26%), and people obstructing others in the frame (21%) are the most frequent issues in group photography.
Study Reveals Time Spent on Photo Editing
A survey of 2,000 smartphone users revealed individuals devote an average of 468 minutes annually editing, filtering, and perfecting their pictures. The study also indicated that Generation Z (Gen Z) typically takes around eight attempts to capture a satisfactory photo before sharing it on social media platforms.
Common Photo Editing Practices
Frequently performed photo edits include:
- Removing unwanted background figures (24%)
- Eliminating red-eye or glare from eyeglasses (23%)
Frequent Photo Mishap Scenarios
The most common scenarios for photo imperfections are:
- Selfies (31%)
- Group photos (29%)
- Theme park rides (17%)
Social Dynamics of Group Photos
A significant 38% of respondents admitted to feeling annoyed when they are the only one who does not look their best in a picture. However, nearly half (47%) would still post a group photo even if they looked good but a friend did not feel the same.
Photo Deletion and Cropping Habits
Regarding group photos, 21% of people avoid taking them altogether. A large majority, 84%, have deleted a photo rather than share it online because they were dissatisfied with their own appearance (38%) or due to poor image quality (21%).
Interestingly, almost half of those surveyed (47%) regularly crop friends out of their photos, with a quarter even admitting to cropping themselves out before posting on social media.
The Rise of Staged Candid Photos
The study also found that 32% have staged a candid-looking photo to appear more natural. This trend is most prevalent among Gen Z (69%), followed by millennials (47%), Generation X (Gen X) at 23%, and Baby Boomers (Boomers) at 22%.
Samsung’s Perspective on Photo Perfection
Annika Bizon, a representative from Samsung, stated: “We recognise the desire to capture and share life’s best moments. However, our research has shown that we spend almost an entire month of our lives editing photos to achieve perfection.”
“We are empowering users to effortlessly capture their best images directly, allowing them to reduce editing time and increase the time spent enjoying those special moments,” Bizon concluded.