In this age of digital media, everything is editable. Barthes' idea of the Noeme, how photographs are an indubitable record of real events, has been virtually destroyed in our world of photoshop. Anyone with a computer and the knowledge to use it can alter images in seconds, putting their head on someone else's body or inserting themselves in a photo when they weren't actually there.

Here are several images in which some kind of digital retouching or altering was done, with the response from the public being negative. The image of Kelly Clarkson on the cover of Self Magazine created controversy because it altered her body to make her look better, yet in the top right hand corner it reads "Stay True To You, And Everyone Else Will Love You Too!" with the message to the public being that you can only look good if you can attain this impossible figure.

The image of the Ralph Lauren model also created some controversy. In the image, the model is so digitally altered that her head is wider than her pelvis. This type of figure is physically impossible. The message here seems to be that the only way you can be beautiful is if you're so thin that you have no body fat (and you are presumably dead as a result). This image is almost humorous in its ridiculousness.

The third image is of the former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin wearing an American flag bathing suit and brandishing a rifle while having an excited expression on her face. This image is obviously doctored, with Palin's head on someone else's body. It nevertheless created controversy because of the nature of its intent. Palin was (and still is) an important and controversial political figure in American politics, and the creator of this image obviously wished to discredit her. While anyone who views this image should be able to guess that it is doctored or at the very least be skeptical of whether it is real or not, its intent is clear.

These days, no one is safe. A simple google search will reveal thousands upon thousands of images that have been altered in some way with potentially devastating consequences for those involved. While digital cameras and photoshop have democratized the process of photography like never before, this also means that spotting a real from a fake has become extremely difficult for all but the most seasoned experts. It is unclear where photography will go from here, but it what is clear is that the days of the photograph being used as unquestionable evidence of an event happening are over.