Politics & Media: The Manipulative Game!

     Political Campaigns! This intense battles that happen every 4 years in most countries, potential presidential candidates go around the country to campaign, huge posters are witnessed everywhere, TV ads are focused on the campaigns, and lots of heated arguments are spreading all over the social media websites! Here is where our best friend, the media, comes into play... The question that I ask myself here is, to what extent does the media influence the success of these campaigns, keeping in mind that these elections determine the way that the country would head in the next half century(assuming ideal conditions).

One of the most popular photos of 2008

     Most of the media, as we discussed before is controlled and run by people who have certain agendas and goals that they want to achieve. It is very easy to see the relation here and to know that this is a very sensitive issue... how transparent is the media when it delivers the information that is going to drive the nation into choosing its next leader?! My guess would be, very little at the best. Since elections are purely based on numbers and who gets the most votes, the smartest thing to do is to try and convince as many people as you can to vote for you! If 50 educated, very highly ranked citizens in the society vote for you and on the other hand 51 uneducated, unaware citizens vote for me, I win! So, it is very important to get the numbers right, and this is when things get ugly... Campaigners would do and say anything to get to the majority of people with the simplest of minds, the media that is controlled by tycoons would help whoever is going to help them stay as they are and get even stronger if they win the elections.
     Finally, the amount of money that is being spent on these campaigns is really alerting! Take for example the 2008 elections in the US, here is an article by Washington Wire breaking down the dollars that was spent on the Ads for the different campaigns!

Photography vs Truth

7000 years ago, the Pharaohs wrote and drew on the wall.

2000 years ago, artists painted significant events in history.
Finally, around 100 years ago the first camera was invented by a Muslim Astronomer/Physicist/Mathematician Alhazen.


     Ever since then, cameras evolved to what we come to see right now from advanced technology and endless variations. All along, these cameras played an integral role in conveying news and portraying events throughout the history. However, we must ask ourselves, how accurate are these images we see from the cameras in portraying reality?!

     Cameras take still images that captures less than a fraction of a second in a static manner, everything before and after the shot is not visible, everything out of the frame is not visible, many factors can aid into manipulating the image and the response we can induce from the viewer with a camera, for example taking a photo with high angle can give a sense of insignificance to the subject in the frame. Photographers are very smart and can use a lot of techniques to play and shape the opinions of the viewer, photography can go under the maximum amount of biasness in my opinion!

In this video, the artist uses manipulation to do the opposite 

of what most photographers do nowadays, he manipulates the 

viewers opinions to create love and to make us realize that we are

all the same! Its a lengthy video but its worth it!

To know more about the project visit this link. HERE

     Who is right? Who is wrong? What is happening? What caused this? Why did this happen? All of these are questions that may never be answered when seeing a powerful photograph that you come across everyday in the print media or the Internet.

     On the other side of the coin, we have to realize that photographers around the world endanger their lives and put themselves in uncomfortable situations everyday just so that we could be aware and well informed, they conduct one of the most noble and artistic jobs in the world, provided it is done properly and without them any media would not be as effective as it should be.

Is Product Placement(Advertisement) In Movies A Bad Thing?

     Last summer my friend made me watch a movie called Cellular when I went over to his place and I was extremely pleased by it. The movie starts off with a nice kick and keeps going! It was well written, with an excellent cast and very good plot twists that were surprisingly convincing unlike most of the other thrillers that fills you with disbelief.
     However! This movie was filled by products advertising throughout, in fact the products in this movie were an integral part of the story and were advertised in a very clever manner. I don't want to spoil the movie for people who plan to watch it(I advice to do so) but Porsche, when they were just releasing a new car model. Nokia when the old 6600 was just coming out and was like the iPhone now and Cellular, an electronics store(which is also the name of the movie!) are all placed and illustrated throughout the movie.
     I know that most people do not necessarily like or agree with product placements in movies, but if this placement is done in a clever manner, do not manipulate the watcher and try to make them believe false claims and at the same time do not have moral or ethical issues, then why not have product placement in movies?
     But then again you will always have that poorly and all-out-on-your-face product placement that might maddens you like the one we see in the series "Chuck"(I actually like this show)... here is an article  about why product placement is helpful to some shows and at the same time why people might dislike them.

Photographer: Okay, a little bit to the left... no, right. Simon! I am not talking to you I am talking about the Coca-Cola cup!

     We all know the products did not magically or by mistake end up and was emphasized this much in the movie, I believe that everyone who watched the movie would have this much common sense to realize that this is a built in advertisement, and if these advertisements come off as too cheesy and unrealistic then I think that this would hurt the product image with the public rather than help it.


     Here is the trailer for the movie... notice how they sell the nokia 6600 with all its "new" options!