Electronic Manipulation

Perhaps one of the pitfalls of electronic media is its ability to be manipulated, stolen, and leaked. Hordes of computer hackers have been able to divulge information as easily as they have been able to rob it, and even more trusted media outlets have come under wrath for altering information, most notably within the realm of photojournalism.

While leaking can be a good thing, particularly in terms of breaking news, leaking has also become infamous for the distribution of new electronic media, i.e. summer blockbusters, computer programs, e-books, and music files. Leaked information begins with a single source and quickly snowballs. When the public interest is benefited from a leak, few complain, but when the leak is private, and of no real concern to the public, said leak becomes an invasion of privacy.


Leaks, while occasionally divvied out under anonymity, are also coined as stolen spoils. The everyday media hacker and illegal downloader differ dramatically in this case: while they both willingly take without the consent of the owner in question, the downloader is more of a second generation hacker, and the media hacker, who undoubtedly and consciously thieves, acts as a contemporary Robin Hood, effectually stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. The electronic flexibility and vulnerability of files and codes reaches far beyond mp3 files, however, as there is truly no feeling as helpless or as blindsided as having your personal information taken from you.



The malleable nature of photojournalism in our tech-heavy world should always be taken with a grain of salt. The talent of Photoshop savvies and other slick copyeditors and designers has increased the amount of 'touched-up' and 'worked over' photos. Regardless of content, an imaginative mindset and the latest technology can seamlessly manipulate photos into making viewers believe they are seeing the genuine article.