Fauxtography

Definition - What does Fauxtography mean?

Fauxtography refers to fraudulent photography, where photographs are manipulated through photoshop or manipulated by other means to change the information they convey. Fauxtography is often used to manipulated the viewer and promote a particular agenda.

Fauxtography is also occassionally used to refer to low-quality or humorous photographs taken by amateur photographers who have started photography businesses or blogs despite their limited experience and skill. In this sense, fauxtography is an Internet meme.

"Faux" is the French word for "fake."

Techopedia explains Fauxtography

The term fauxtography may have emerged in 2006 when freelance photographer Adnan Hajj provided an altered photograph of what was described as an Israeli raid in Beirut. Reuters printed the photo, and it quickly spread online. However, the billowing black smoke was later discovered to have been digitally added, along with other elements of the photo. Fauxtography is especially dangerous in photojournalism because audiences trust the news to provide accurate representations of worldwide events. When images are photoshopped or staged, this can drastically change how people feel about the event depicted.

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