Lori Stem
loristemou@gmail.com (ls603219@ohio.edu)
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| Credit: Craftypuzzles.com |
"Pictures don't lie."
"A picture is worth a thousand words."
"Photography is truth."
"Seeing is believing."
These are all phrases we've grown up with. Well, many of us that didn't grow up with technology at our fingertips anyway. These phrases have been etched into our minds for a long time.
Too bad they are the farthest from the truth in many cases now. Editing software is extremely accessible and anyone can master the skill of manipulating images. It's quite easy to edit an image to tell a narrative of interest to you or others, post, and watch the shares and likes multiply.
It's scary these false images are taken for the truth far too often. There are consumers who don't have the critical thinking abilities to recognize these images are not the truth (or don't care). And some might lack the tech skills to even know how prevalent editing capabilities are.
Likewise, there are some journalists not vetting sources before using and sharing images. They are rushing to post the next hot story before their competition does. Reputable news sources would be more unlikely to do this.
So, how do you know an image you see on social media is manipulated? This BBC article gives some easy-to-spot clues, or watch this short video to learn how.
Why does it matter if manipulated images are shared?
Well for one, journalists' use of manipulated images is unethical and misleading. Reputable journalists adhere to high standards by informing citizens of events using facts and vetting their sources of information.
Secondly, this article from The Arthur W. Page Center at Penn State says consumers seeing manipulated images create false connections. And we know false connections lead to believing narratives that are simply not true.
Sometimes, people just don't care
...and this is a major problem. Take my two sisters for instance. They couldn't be more opposite on so many levels.
My younger sister is an interactive media specialist for a conservation non-profit. Much of her career has been time spent creating videos or taking photos for work.
She understands the ins and outs of editing software. This has given her an edge when it comes to easily spotting manipulated images.
My older sister is not tech-savvy. Well, she uses social media, but she lacks experience and knowledge of current tech capabilities.
Unfortunately, she also has always had feelings of low self-worth and self-esteem. Her career is one where it gives her a feeling of power over others.
To her, the news is what she sees scrolling on Facebook. Almost daily, she likes, comments on, and shares fake stories, images, and videos.
When her spouse points out she is sharing fake stories and images she shrugs her shoulders and goes about her merry way.
In her case, she craves feeling like part of an online community and bolstering her beliefs and others that are like-minded. She wants to keep what is her social circle intact.
And what is the way she does this? Forming false connections to false narratives by believing in and sharing manipulated images.
Check your sources, check your sources, check your sources
To combat the spreading of misleading and manipulated images, please be responsible and check your sources before liking or sharing. Look at clues photos give, use reverse image search to check out images, and be sure the content is from reputable sources and journalists.
And remember...there are many types of misinformation. Manipulated images are just one of them.
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| Credit: Groundviews.org |
I really enjoyed the articles you connected to your blog post. The BBC article showed just how simple it can be to spot a manipulated image image when factoring in the background, reflections etc. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI remember a couple years ago I was scrolling through Twitter when I came across an image from a nature account I followed that depicted what looked like an angry koala (the image can be found quite easily by searching something along the lines of "fake angry koala" into any search engine). There was something about the image that just seemed strange to me. The koala's jaw resembled that of a great dane. I really had no idea what a koala's jaw looked like so I could have just passed it off as fact, however, I decided to look into it more. Turns out the image was altered. In the original photo, the koala's mouth is completely shut. I decided to unfollow that nature account after that. An account dedicated to nature should at least put in a little more research before they tweet something as fact.
Hi Lucas - thanks for leaving a comment! I agree, sometimes we see an image and it can give us pause, but we might not know why. It's really important that we understand how easy it is to edit images so we can be informed and do some research when warranted. I would have unfollowed that account too. How disappointing.
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