It91裸聊视频檚 been a common refrain when seeking proof that someone91裸聊视频檚 story or some event actually took place: 91裸聊视频淧ics, or it didn91裸聊视频檛 happen.91裸聊视频�
But in a world where the spread of technology makes photo manipulation as easy as a tap on your phone, the idea that a visual image is an absolute truth is as outdated as the daguerreotype. And a photo can sometimes raise as many questions as it was meant to answer.
That was seen in recent days when controversy descended upon an image of Kate, Princess of Wales, and her three children. News agencies including The Associated Press published, then retracted, the image given out by Kensington Palace over leading to Kate saying on social media
In that, she91裸聊视频檚 hardly alone.
From something that was time-consuming and required a great deal of technical expertise in the days of actual film and darkrooms, digital editing has become something practically anyone can do, from adding filters to cropping images and much more. Apps abound, offering the easiest of experiences in creating and retouching photos and videos which can then be easily transmitted online and through social media.
91裸聊视频淐over blemishes and let the real you shine through,91裸聊视频� says an ad for the smartphone app Facetune. 91裸聊视频淩emove and change backgrounds instantly,91裸聊视频� the app91裸聊视频檚 website enthuses. 91裸聊视频淥ur AI object remover is ready to assist you in getting rid of unwanted objects.91裸聊视频�
This Wild West of image-altering abilities is opening new frontiers for everyday people 91裸聊视频� and creating headaches for those who expect photos to be a documentary representation of reality.
THE MAINSTREAMING OF MANIPULATION
Photojournalists and major news organizations follow standards and ethics codes around photos. These organizations typically place an absolute premium on image authenticity and reject photographs that have been altered in any way. But efforts to identify altered imagery can be impeded by the increasingly easy-to-use apps for phones and computers that allow anyone to chip away, piece by piece, at what a camera actually recorded.
The mainstreaming of manipulation, placing such abilities at people91裸聊视频檚 fingertips, has made for some interesting and viral moments 91裸聊视频� like the one in March 2023 when an artificially generated image of took in many people who thought it was real.
But there are risks and dangers to a world where just because you see something doesn91裸聊视频檛 mean you can absolutely believe it, said Ken Light, a photojournalism professor at the University of California Berkeley91裸聊视频檚 Graduate School of Journalism.
91裸聊视频淭he role of photography has been to witness and to record for the moment, but also for history. And I don91裸聊视频檛 think any of us know where it91裸聊视频檚 going,91裸聊视频� he said. The rise of visual manipulation that casts doubt on whether something is real or not 91裸聊视频渇rays the fabric of the culture tremendously in the moment but also for the future.91裸聊视频�
Fred Ritchin, dean emeritus of the school at the and a former picture editor at The New York Times Magazine, agreed. 91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频橳he camera never lies91裸聊视频� is a 20th-century idea. It91裸聊视频檚 not a 21st-century idea,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭hese are all mythologies that we91裸聊视频檙e still hiding behind and we have not really confronted.91裸聊视频�
People have long known that some images are manipulated, like cover models on magazines, and some have raised concerns about that impact that artificial and manipulated standards of beauty can have on girls and women.
But they haven91裸聊视频檛 really come to terms with how widespread digital manipulation is in other areas like social media, done by a wide variety of everyday people, said Lexie Kite, who with her sister Lindsay has done research into body image and media and wrote 91裸聊视频淢ore Than A Body: Your Body Is an Instrument, Not an Ornament.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚t is important for all of us to anchor ourselves in the truth that digital manipulation is our reality,91裸聊视频� she said.
HOW CAN FAKERY BE IDENTIFIED?
People can take steps to deal with the creeping effects of photo manipulation, said Hany Farid, a professor at UC Berkeley whose research examines digital forensics and image analysis.
Viewers need 91裸聊视频渢o just slow down a little bit, be a little bit more careful, be a little more thoughtful91裸聊视频� about what they91裸聊视频檙e looking at instead of just assuming any image they see is fact, he said.
On the technology side, he said there are ways being developed to track visual images and to make it clear if they91裸聊视频檝e been altered after the photos were taken.
But while such steps may mitigate some of the issues, he said, it won91裸聊视频檛 eliminate the problem or take us back to where we could have abiding faith in an image, as previous generations did with photos we now consider unforgettable.
91裸聊视频淎lmost every major incident in our history, wars, conflicts, disasters, there91裸聊视频檚 this iconic photo,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭hey91裸聊视频檙e so powerful because they capture this incredibly complex set of facts and emotions and history in one photo. And I don91裸聊视频檛 know that we can have that anymore. It91裸聊视频檚 a very different world going forward now.91裸聊视频�
Or, if the adage was modified: 91裸聊视频淧ics, and maybe it still didn91裸聊视频檛 quite happen.91裸聊视频�
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