Socialize My Art
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Today’s technology is giving people the freedom to make their images ever more artistic, creating inspiration that will shape our futures. While there is a chance that users on sites like Instagram and Facebook will contribute to nothing but their own vanity and the misery of other viewers, we cannot take away the right to produce and express ourselves and our thoughts through digital manipulation.
The push for ethical regulation on digital manipulation is due to the premise that it creates “unrealistic expectations of beauty in society,” pressuring young men and women to respond with insecurity, and in turn perpetuating large psychological self-esteem issues from body dissatisfaction to eating disorders (Harrison and Hefner). Although many photographers and artists respect and sympathize with this argument, an equal if not greater number defend the importance of artistic freedom. Frank Multari, a photographer, defends his use of Photoshopping technology as follows: “It’s because we naturally focus on a person’s most identifiable parts, the features that are most quintessentially human” that these blemishes distract the viewer from the subject of the picture. He elaborates, “Photoshopping imperfections is not always about making someone appear perfect, it’s often a matter of being as faithful to what you saw as a photographer and human in the first place.” And that mindset and process is what Multari and other artists find “honest and noble” for the sake of art. Instead of viewing digital manipulation as a psychological attack on young men’s and women’s self-esteem, we should consider the distinct possibility, demonstrated over and over, that digital manipulation can inspire. The Renaissance, one of the greatest cultural movements to this day, was driven by the creativity of many masters like Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Donatello. Their works changed Europe forever, enabling the movement to branch out and inspire endeavors into science, music, and religion. Similar to the Renaissance, which was not initially greeted with acceptance, the Jazz Age and Pop-Art in America overcame initial resistance and profoundly influenced American culture across different fields. Digital manipulation and social media art may just be the next form of art to overcome wariness and gain mass popularity. Artists, photographers, and hobbyists all now have the accessibility and ease with which to share their work with others, gaining experience, getting feedback, amassing pride for the work they have done, and perhaps giving themselves the chance to be discovered. |