Distorting mirror

A distorting mirror, funhouse mirror or carnival mirror is a popular attraction at carnivals and fairs.^[1] Instead of a normal plane mirror that reflects a perfect mirror image, distorting mirrors are curved mirrors, often using convex and concave sections to achieve the distorted effect.^[2] Because of their distorting properties, they are sometimes featured in fiction as a literary device, such as in Hans Christian Andersen's 1844 fairy tale The Snow Queen.^[3]

Image in a distorting mirror

Distorted mirrors are used as a metaphor for describing Wikipedia,^[4] personalized medicine^[5] and social media which rather than reflecting society, tend to distort our perceptions of reality and social norms.^[6][7]