It was the best of filters, it was the worst of filters. Here is a tale of two filters that came out at the same time, that do different things and that are still very much linked together as they show how Instagram is courting very distinct audiences through music.

First up, Billie Eilish has an Instagram filter that users can access as long as they follow her on Instagram. It turns your face plastic-y and blacks out your eyes, adding strobe flashes in the background to echo the sinister cover art of her debut album.

Next up is the Coachella filter – either ignoring or fully embracing the online shade thrown at the festival that suggests it is little more than a connected series of Instagram opportunities for attendees who are more concerned about selfies than who is playing. The ‘Desert Chill’ filter (yes, they really called it that) gives photos a pink sheen that ties in with the wider aesthetic the festival is pushing. There is also an effect that pops sunglasses on the user and where the shape of the glasses frames turns into stars and ferris wheels.

The core Coachella audience is estimated to be mid-20s whereas Eilish’s audience skews younger, although her crossover appeal in the wake of her debut album’s success will push that average age up a bit. It is fascinating to note how fundamentally the same technology – a filter applied to images or videos – can create two very different types of engagement for two distinct audiences.

The first is about showing loyalty to an artist by applying their imagery and aesthetic to your own face to feel part of a likeminded community and where looking good is not the sole point; the other is about indirect participation through association, buffing every photo from an event into being just one part of a homogeneous gallery and where looking good is the only point.