Case Study: The image that challenged the media?

One argument offered in support of this initiative concerns the way in which media consumers appear to be oblivious to the manipulations of images in the various media. However, there is evidence of wider dissatisfaction and criticism of media producers for what is done to images, of women and other groups, on an aesthetic and political level. Sites such as ‘Photoshop Disasters’ have a great deal of fun at the expense of advertisers and magazine designers, pinpointing poor use of related technologies. More objectionable that cack-handed design is the way in which images translated to difference cultures sometimes edit out or replace individuals whose ethnic appearance is deemed to be unsuitable to certain contexts. Thus, images of multi-cultural offices from Western Europe are doctored in favour of all white workforces for Eastern Europe and so on.

The point is that media forms and how they represent the world do not always pass by without comment and attention.

Sources:

http://us.glamour.com/

Gaby Hinsliff, ‘Picture of dying marine brings war home to America’, ‘Observer’, Sunday 6 September, 2009 (see http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/06/dying-marine-fury-america-afghanistan)

Emine Saner. ‘Now you see it, now you don’t’ in ‘The Guardian’, 5th September, 2009 (http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2009/sep/05/model-lizzie-miller-photo-reaction)

http://photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com/

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