The Ethics of Digital Manipulation
MEDIA ESSAY THE ETHICS OF DIGITAL MANIPULATION
What is real, and what is fake? In modern culture today, it is becoming increasingly harder to distinguish real photos, or at least as real as they can be, from edited images. How can we have faith in anything we subject ourselves to anymore? With today’s advanced technology, the possibilities are endless when it comes to photo manipulation. However, photo manipulation is not a product of modern society, as it has been evident in urban culture starting from the 1860’s. Photo manipulation is the cause of society’s rigid expectations of a myriad of factors, with the most popular being appearance. If photo manipulation was used with the audience aware of it, there would nothing ethically wrong with it, but with photo editing becoming increasingly more deceitful, it has become impossible to differentiate between real and fake, which is only causing harm within the community.
The photo alteration industry has frequently been accused of provoking or inciting a distorted self-image, most explicitly in younger people, who are subject to being more vulnerable. Manipulation of photos is most usually affiliated with the culture of ‘glamour’ photography. This is obviously a concerning element as many people look up to celebrities in search of emulating the 'ideal figure', which in fact is physically unachievable. This results in unrealistic expectations being thrust upon the vulnerable general public, who subject themselves most usually to eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. When photos are distorted in this way they have a strong sense of verisimilitude, which only reinforces the idea of ‘perfection’. The advertisers, through the photographs, are not aiming to be artistic. They are aiming to change the image of beauty in the minds of their consumers. Statistics show that 73% of teenage girls who abuse diet pills and 79% of teenage girls who self-purge frequently read women’s fitness and health
What is real, and what is fake? In modern culture today, it is becoming increasingly harder to distinguish real photos, or at least as real as they can be, from edited images. How can we have faith in anything we subject ourselves to anymore? With today’s advanced technology, the possibilities are endless when it comes to photo manipulation. However, photo manipulation is not a product of modern society, as it has been evident in urban culture starting from the 1860’s. Photo manipulation is the cause of society’s rigid expectations of a myriad of factors, with the most popular being appearance. If photo manipulation was used with the audience aware of it, there would nothing ethically wrong with it, but with photo editing becoming increasingly more deceitful, it has become impossible to differentiate between real and fake, which is only causing harm within the community.
The photo alteration industry has frequently been accused of provoking or inciting a distorted self-image, most explicitly in younger people, who are subject to being more vulnerable. Manipulation of photos is most usually affiliated with the culture of ‘glamour’ photography. This is obviously a concerning element as many people look up to celebrities in search of emulating the 'ideal figure', which in fact is physically unachievable. This results in unrealistic expectations being thrust upon the vulnerable general public, who subject themselves most usually to eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. When photos are distorted in this way they have a strong sense of verisimilitude, which only reinforces the idea of ‘perfection’. The advertisers, through the photographs, are not aiming to be artistic. They are aiming to change the image of beauty in the minds of their consumers. Statistics show that 73% of teenage girls who abuse diet pills and 79% of teenage girls who self-purge frequently read women’s fitness and health