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Visual manipulation
From news articles to depictions of events, we see manipulation of photos and videos we may not even be aware we are subjected to. According to an article published by First draft news, "agents of disinformation have devised increasingly inventive methods for manipulating journalists, the social platforms, and the subsequent media coverage." Some journalists have studied the art of visual manipulation for years, which makes it less likely for viewers to distinguish it as edited.
Deception in advertising
The most common place I see photo manipulation is in advertising. Fast food chains, restaurants, hotels, resorts, toy companies and more all use editing and angle functions to appeal to a viewer's eye. An article titled The Art of Deceptive Advertising opened my eyes to how often we, as consumers, are tricked by organizations into being more drawn to what they have to offer.
The artistic ability to deceive
Obviously, after ordering a cheeseburger from McDonald's, it is clear that they are not made to be perfect as we see in commercials. The article published by Jenny Chang helped to understand why that is. She expresses many ways in which industries mask the actual products they are aiming to sell. Some examples of tricks used to appeal to viewers are substituting motor oil for syrup, spraying hairspray on produce to depict freshness, antacids in drinks to produce an unrealistic fizz, and mashed potatoes posing as ice cream, among many other deceitful tricks.
Picture source: Commercials vs Reality
What you don't know may still hurt you
Although the trickery within food advertisements doesn't necessarily impact our trust, it does set the tone for what is acceptable of other photojournalists and advertisers. If journalists for media outlets see advertising agencies get away with photo manipulation, they start to question why they can't as well? As a society we are more tolerating and accepting of fashion and food manipulation than we are of deceptive photojournalism.
Hold them to the same standards
In order to cease the existence of manipulated visuals in journalism and media, we must attack the issues from the root. Though there is no personal disadvantages to subjection pertaining to manipulated food and fashion, it sets the tone for what we allow industries to tweak. As a society, we will likely continue down the road of deceptive journalism in more impactful terms. When it comes to photos of human suffrage, natural disaster, and important news, we prefer photos not to be distorted, so terms should not change for agencies selling fast fashion and fake meat.
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