Psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos, says: “Younger generations are much more comfortable with being on film, as they have grown up sharing their lives online. However, they are also very aware of how to look good on camera, and the prevalence of online video is inspiring both men and women to look their best.”

I’ve been using a glossy,   Flip Ultra 120 mins  (it also comes in white) for the past two weeks and it looks much cooler than older models. Its newly positioned USB adapter pops up from the top of the camera like something from a Swiss Army Knife. The Mino offers features such as the ability to lock the delete button, so no one accidentally deletes your videos, and mute all camera sounds, so as to record silently during quiet moments like wedding ceremonies or speeches.

Flip Video breakthrough line of simple, pocket-sized digital camcorders, is an ultra-convenient line of pocket-sized, affordable camcorders featuring built-in software that makes it easy for everyday consumers to instantly capture, edit, and share video.

Flip Video camcorders are the world’s first with on-board software to enable editing, organizing, and seamless video uploading to YouTube, MySpace, AOL Video and other video sharing sites.

The growing popularity of ’shoot-and-share’ pocket camcorders means that more and more events are shared online via social networks and the research results suggest it has made a clear impact on our personal appearances. Women are more concerned than men about unflattering holiday videos being viewed by friends and family on social networks such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube, but almost one in ten men (9%) are still going the extra mile to look good this summer as a result.

Active users of social networks are the most committed to keeping up appearances, with over a third (34%) of 18-24 years olds making an added effort to look good before they hit the beach. Carefree OAPs appear more comfortable in their own skin, with only 5% concerned about being captured on film.

The Flip Ultra 120 mins has been dubbed, “As important to film as the iPod is to music ” and the gadget has been a major catalyst for the exponential rise of user-generated video content on the web. The tiny camcorders are the first in the world to incorporate full editing and sharing software within the camera and the built-in USB arm connects the unit directly to any PC or Mac making it easier than ever to shoot and share your movies.

Since its USA launch in May 2007, the simple and affordable Flip Video Ultra has become the best selling camcorder in the USA, and is Amazon’s top selling digital camcorder. The Flip not only outstrips established brands such as Sony and JVC, in terms of sales, but defines an entirely new market of web users shooting and sharing their videos.

There are over 100 million videos uploaded to YouTube alone, and this burgeoning trend for sharing multimedia is a key to Flip Video’s success.

Flip Ultra Video Camcorder