Remember the good old days when a photograph was a reliable capture of reality? You’d snap a picture, and there it was—a genuine representation of that moment in time. Fast forward to today, and it’s a whole different ballgame. Thanks to the wonders of digital manipulation, it’s getting harder and harder to trust that what we’re seeing is anywhere close to the truth.

Take Google’s feature that ensures no one’s eyes are shut in photos, for example. Sounds like a lifesaver, right? No more pictures ruined by that one person blinking at the wrong time. But here’s the kicker: the photo you end up with isn’t actually real. It’s a composite image, pieced together from various frames to create an “ideal” moment that never actually happened.

Now, don’t get me wrong—I appreciate not having to sift through dozens of shots to find one where everyone’s eyes are open. But at the same time, it’s a bit disconcerting to think that this “perfect” photo is, in reality, a fabrication. We’re no longer capturing moments as they are; we’re creating an illusion of perfection.

And it’s not just Google. Everywhere you look, digital manipulation is creeping into our photos and videos. From filters that smooth our skin and whiten our teeth to apps that can swap out backgrounds and even change our facial expressions, the line between what’s real and what’s fake is becoming increasingly blurred.

These edits shape our memories in ways we might not even realize. We look back at photos from a vacation and see sun-drenched beaches and smiling faces, but the truth might be that it rained the whole time and the kids were grumpy. Over time, the edited photos become our memories, replacing the less-than-perfect reality with a curated version of events.

It’s a weird time for digital photography, no doubt about it. On one hand, we have more control than ever over how we present ourselves and our lives to the world. On the other hand, we’re losing touch with authenticity. We’re creating a version of reality that’s more like a glossy magazine spread than a true reflection of our experiences.

So, where does that leave us? Are we witnessing the death of reality in photography? It’s hard to say. But one thing’s for sure: the next time you see a flawless photo or video, take it with a grain of salt. Because in this age of digital manipulation, what you see is rarely what you get.

In the end, maybe it’s not all bad. Maybe these edited photos can help us see the world—and ourselves—in a more positive light. But let’s not forget to appreciate the unedited, imperfect moments, too. After all, sometimes the most genuine moments are the ones where someone’s eyes are shut.

Lastly, I want to point out that everything before this paragraph was generated and written by AI.  I told AI to adopt a persona of myself based on this blog, and prompted it to write this out with some themes and points that I had, and quite frankly, it did a damn good job.  I left it fully unedited.  My point for this whole exercise was that from now on, you will never be able to tell if any photo or video was reality at the time.  It most certainly was not, and we will gaslight ourselves into thinking it was.  I’m not quite sure how I feel about it yet.  I’ll keep playing around and let you know.