It’s crazy to me how one, very accessible program like photoshop can be so powerful and influential. The tutor today said that almost any photo you see today hanging on a restaurant wall or in a store has been photoshop(ed) in one way or another. That immediately made me question every image I’m seeing on TV, in magazine, or anywhere else. I’ve been using photoshop for a couple of years now, and am by no means an expert, yet I’ve tampered with photos a bunch and have never had anyone notice. For example, ,
Can you tell which one is fake???

Anyway, the point is, when we see images, which we see hundreds every day, are we seeing reality? Or are we seeing images that are tampered with and manipulated to portray what they want to portray? When we see celebrity’s pictures in magazines are they really that good looking or are they airbrushed like crazy to look that way (I hope so, and I tell myself its all airbrushing to feel better about myself). This naturally makes me think about film and television. Even the news, or videos on youtube, or tv shows can manipulate the moving images so easily and so imperceptibly that, at this point, we can never be sure what is true footage.

Technology is truly taking over our world, and it is manipulating the perception of reality. It’s a crazy thought, for better or for worse, and its amazing that the programs or software that yield these capabilities are found on school’s computers, students laptops and on store shelves for anyone to utilize. It’s both exciting and scary. What’s next? How can these programs evolve and progress? As scary of a thought as that is, I’m extremely anxious to see where it goes!