ItB次元官网网址檚 been a common refrain when seeking proof that someoneB次元官网网址檚 story or some event actually took place: B次元官网网址淧ics, or it didnB次元官网网址檛 happen.B次元官网网址�
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makes photo manipulation as easy as a tap on your phone, the idea that a visual image is an absolute truth is as outdated as the daguerreotype.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. B次元官网网址 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, sheB次元官网网址檚 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.
B次元官网网址淐over blemishes and let the real you shine through,B次元官网网址� says an ad for the smartphone app Facetune. B次元官网网址淩emove and change backgrounds instantly,B次元官网网址� the appB次元官网网址檚 website enthuses. B次元官网网址淥ur AI object remover is ready to assist you in getting rid of unwanted objects.B次元官网网址�
This Wild West of image-altering abilities is opening new frontiers for everyday people B次元官网网址� 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 peopleB次元官网网址檚 fingertips, has made for some interesting and viral moments B次元官网网址� 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 doesnB次元官网网址檛 mean you can absolutely believe it, said Ken Light, a photojournalism professor at the University of California BerkeleyB次元官网网址檚 Graduate School of Journalism.
B次元官网网址淭he role of photography has been to witness and to record for the moment, but also for history. And I donB次元官网网址檛 think any of us know where itB次元官网网址檚 going,B次元官网网址� he said. The rise of visual manipulation that casts doubt on whether something is real or not B次元官网网址渇rays the fabric of the culture tremendously in the moment but also for the future.B次元官网网址�
Fred Ritchin, dean emeritus of the school at the and a former picture editor at The New York Times Magazine, agreed. B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址橳he camera never liesB次元官网网址� is a 20th-century idea. ItB次元官网网址檚 not a 21st-century idea,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hese are all mythologies that weB次元官网网址檙e still hiding behind and we have not really confronted.B次元官网网址�
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 havenB次元官网网址檛 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 B次元官网网址淢ore Than A Body: Your Body Is an Instrument, Not an Ornament.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚t is important for all of us to anchor ourselves in the truth that digital manipulation is our reality,B次元官网网址� 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 B次元官网网址渢o just slow down a little bit, be a little bit more careful, be a little more thoughtfulB次元官网网址� about what theyB次元官网网址檙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 theyB次元官网网址檝e been altered after the photos were taken.
But while such steps may mitigate some of the issues, he said, it wonB次元官网网址檛 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.
B次元官网网址淎lmost every major incident in our history, wars, conflicts, disasters, thereB次元官网网址檚 this iconic photo,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e so powerful because they capture this incredibly complex set of facts and emotions and history in one photo. And I donB次元官网网址檛 know that we can have that anymore. ItB次元官网网址檚 a very different world going forward now.B次元官网网址�
Or, if the adage was modified: B次元官网网址淧ics, and maybe it still didnB次元官网网址檛 quite happen.B次元官网网址�
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