Should Photoshopping Ads be regulated?

This is an interesting article about what they are trying to do in the UK to stop the extreme use of photoshop in the media. Almost everything we look at in magazines and advertisements has probably been photoshopped to some degree. Sometimes, it makes sense, but at other times it can be extremely deceptive.

A friend of mine recently got married and mentioned that for just that one day she wished she didn't have the tattoo on her shoulder that showed up in all the pictures. So should she photoshop it out? It makes it a bit untruthful since she did actually have the tattoo on that day and did not even try to cover it up. Anyone who was there would probably be able to recall that if they had noticed it. But if they went back to look at pictures, which had been photoshopped, it wouldn't be there. I can't see how it actually hurts as long as you are truthful about it and readily admit why you did it.

In the media, on the other hand, we never get to talk to the individuals about the choices they made and why. Perhaps a notice that photoshop has been used and for what purpose at the bottom of the picture would help keep people accountable. Either that, or as consumers we just need to assume that everything has been photoshopped and nothing is the whole truth.

The Discussion of Race

I believe that there is a real fear of discussing race in our society. It is difficult for people to bring it up because they are afraid that what they say will be taken offensively or that they will be seen as racist. It is a difficult fear to overcome in a society that values political correctness.

Unfortunately, not talking about race does nothing to deter stereotypes in people's minds. I think that what is needed is a way to talk about race and stereotype issues in a safe, non-judgemental atmosphere. But where is that place? I think this is going to take a strong political or social leader that is willing to cross some lines and take some risks in order to change our current social norm.

I think these things are deeply ingrained in us and it is difficult to change people's minds and attitudes overnight. Just like the Civil Rights Movement was a long, arduous journey, the journey to open racial discussions and healthy, normal relationships between the races will take some time and effort.

The Theory of "The Gaze"

I'm not sure I buy into this hypothesis. I think so much of what we do and how we pose is affected by our instinctive postures and our understanding that we are always being watched by technology today. We are constantly aware that cameras are or could be photographing us, and therefore we have learned to pose in ways that make us look and feel good. Look at pictures of people from the past. They were not nearly as camera saavy and would not pose in appealing ways. As we have learned to see ourselves we learn to pose in ways that we feel make us look good. To a young male gangster kid, that looks like a macho stance with a sign thrown up. To a middle-aged woman, that is a pose that shows less of her wrinkles and focuses more on her percieved assets, such as her smile, eyes, or hair.

I think it is very difficult to say that there is one reason that we pose in certain ways. There are so many factors to take into consideration.

Food Advertising - Making Food Look Sexy

The equivalant of a makeup artist for the stars is a food stylist. I always assumed someone must take the time to make the food on advertisements look fabulous, but I never understood the lengths that a food stylist would go to in order to make the food LOOK so mouth-wateringly delicious. The irony is that the food that looks so good on the screen is inedible. So it makes us want to eat the item we think we are looking at, but what we are actually seeing is an inedible form of the item. It's pretty crazy to think that my food cravings are being stimulated by an uncooked hamburger full of toothpicks and straight pins, and possibly some glue! Ugh. That's much less appetizing than it looks.

To see some examples of how food stylists manipulate the food for advertisements, click here.

Deception Through Editing

Here is a very funny video of President Obama that shows how things can be distorted through creative editing. It's amazing what a little cropping and reworking of photos and videos can do to create a different story. Is it any wonder that different media networks can spin stories completely differently, depending on their agenda? It's amazingly easy to do.

Here's the link to the video in case it doesn't load properly.

Maps as Media

Nothing is safe from the effects of media distortion. We think of maps as factual representations of our world, but in fact, they can be quite deceptive if a person is not aware of the distortions. Some of the distortion is unintentional because it is just very difficult to make a 3-D world into a flat map. But mapmakers have decisions about how to distort our round world into a flat one and the personal biases of the mapmakers can create different viewpoints. For instance, who decided that North should always be at the top of a map? It looks so normal to us now that we assume it to be the truth, but there really is no top or bottom of our revolving, floating through the universe, planet.

One way to get a different viewpoint of the world is to take a look at maps distorted by an assortment of criteria. Worldmapper.org is a really neat website that gives a lot of good information. Yes, it is still distorted information, but it makes you think about the information that we are normally given.

And thinking about things is never a bad thing.

News Flash: The Media is Not to Blame

This article from USA Today is great! Here is a media article about how it's really not the media's fault that they over-exaggerate medical claims and get false medical reports. Oh, come on people. Isn't that what investigative journalism is all about? Isn't that what journalism is about, period? Get the facts, check the facts, and don't blame your faulty source.

So okay, maybe it's a source you trust, like the science community. Hmmm. Sorta like most people trust the media to be giving correct information??? Interesting, how it hurts more when you're the one being deceived.

Censorship of Images in the News

Should we, as news consumers, be allowed to see any and all images no matter what? My feeling is that we should be able to have access to all images and news, but that they should not be thrown in our faces. It should be a choice. If we feel they are important to us for some reason, we as the people, should be able to access them.

For instance, people should be able to request the photos of torture at Abu Ghraib if they feel it is important for them, personally, to know this info. They should not be printed in magazines and newspapers and strewn across major websites and TV programs. Without being shoved down our throats, it should be available as a choice. We are a relatively intellegent populace. Let us make our own decisions and decide what we can or cannot handle. I don't know about you, but I don't need the media or the government to dictate what I do or do not need to know.

Product Placement on TV

Product placement seems to be all the rage lately. Sometimes it bothers me, like when they stop in the middle of The Biggest Loser to talk to each other about the joys of Ziploc products. Other times, I don't mind, knowing that everybody just wants to make a little money and this is the price we pay for living in a capitalistic society.

What gets to me though, is the thought that these aren't the little guys making a little bit of money off some product placement. Nope. A lot of these products belong to the same big companies and that company is just raking in the profits. If companies use all their time promoting their own parent/sister company's products, where are the small companies going to get their advertising placed? In the very worst, cheapest, least-watched slots, that's where.

And then again on the other hand, some of this stuff is just plain funny! The New York Times article gave a great list of examples of both good and bad (horrible, really) product placement. For instance, this one here, just...just...I don't even know what to say about it. Just watch it.