TTG Plus > FAQs > More on FAQ #323

  • 1. How can the most “accurate”-looking depiction of a scene not qualify as TTG?

    Because if a photograph undergoes any changes that disqualify it from the Trust Test, it cannot qualify as TTG no matter how much it looks like the scene it depicts.

    By the same token, the depiction of a scene that qualifies as TTG may not be the most “accurate”-looking depiction of that scene (at least not with regard to non-“light”-related aspects).

  • 2. Why is this?

    It is because the changes required to help a digital photograph “look more like the scene that was photographed” often involve actions that make viewers less likely to trust the resulting image.

    This can be a difficult concept for some people to grasp, especially if they grew up in the film era.

    Back in the film era, photographs often could not be doctored to “look more like the scene that was photographed” without viewers being able to instantly detect the manipulations (if they were shown a clear version of the doctored photo and not a published reproduction of it).

  • 3. It really is quite simple

    A. People’s level of “trust” in a photograph depends on how confident they are that they can “read” the photograph.

    B. People’s confidence in how much they can “read” a photograph is tied to how confident they are that the photo is not “doctored” or “aigmented.”

    C. Thus people are usually less likely to have the confidence to trust a photo if they know or suspect that it is “doctored” or “aigmented” — even if those changes were performed to make the photo “look more like the scene that was photographed.”

  • 4. In the 21st century, a former connection is gone

    Outside of news settings, there is no longer any reliable connection in any photo-like image between “how much it looks like the scene it depicts” and “how trustworthy it is.”

    In the digital age, “accurate-looking” is no guarantee of “trustworthiness.”

    Or, as it says in #321, “When it comes to trustworthiness, in the digital age there is no prize given for the most-perfect rendition of the scene that was photographed: other factors matter more than ‘looks.’”