PLACES Academy

Using Storytelling in the Classroom
Filter this! – full length
Filter this! – no ending

SDG 3 – age group 11-14

#self-image #self-esteem #social comparison #self-acceptance #peer pressure
“Max life”. That was the name of Max’s Instagram profile. And everything on the profile looked super nice and expensive. It was all very well arranged, edited and “filtered”. Because it is of maximum importance how life looks from the outside. Isn’t that true….?
Max’ mother is managing his Instagram account. She filters reality, making it look much better than it really is, to gain more followers for both Max and her. At school, the other students and the teacher are interested in Max, but only because he has so many followers and gets to eat great food.
Life reaches its peak when the world-famous influencer “Starfish” starts following Max.
But then, Max and his mother lose access to the account. A hacker has taken control of it and removed all the filters from the photos. The mother is furious. The number of followers descends rapidly.
The classmates and the teacher turn their backs on him, mocking him. Except for one girl who shows that a normal life can also be something truly special, and she even posts pictures on her account without editing them at all!
If you want to further explore this story with your pupils, we think that for example the PLACES Playful activity card “Messy Monday” works particularly well.