Whilst the perfect photo filter can be rather satisfying and increase your likes, it hardly shows the real you. Trail through Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and you will see perfectly altered photos strategically taken to maximise the number of people who will 'like' it.
This is increasingly the case for cyclists, who will strive to find the perfect angle, light and filter to post their photo with.
Vulnerability and self-doubt on social media, alongside external criticism, means that candid photos are becoming a thing of the past.
Strava wants to combat this with their new campaign, Athletes Unfiltered. To combat the negative pressure of social networks, Strava is asking you to share photos of the 'real you', whether that be you setting that King of the Mountains or hunched into a sweaty ball after a 100 mile training ride.
Strava claims it is the perfect place to be 'imperfect ', with little place to hide when uploading your run, swim or ride.
If you had a bad ride, Strava will show that, and that is exactly what the GPS app wants to convey in this latest initiative.
All you have to do is take your photo, post it to social media and put in the hashtag #AthletesUnfiltered. Strava says it wants to see the 'awkward tan lines, the flushed post-workout selfie, the filthy hands, the raw joy of getting through a big day out.'
Strava VP of Marketing Gareth Nettleton thinks that this is just what is needed in these 'divisive' times helping to make more 'unity' and 'acceptance'.
'Firstly, we live in a terribly divisive time, and sport connects people across lines you might not expect. It is a positive, unifying force, and we want to shine a light on its power to bring people together.'
'Secondly, Strava is a real, raw, very unfiltered social network. We believe that people all over the world are exhausted by the pressure to always present a perfect, curated self on other social networks.'
'So we wanted to make it very clear that Strava is a place to put it all out there and be yourself. Unity and acceptance – that's what this campaign is about.'
Lead Image: Harry George Hall/Strava