Jenkin's 'Photoshop for Democracy'

How is Jenkins using the phrase "Photoshop for Democracy"? Find, post, and discuss an example as it relates to the reading


In this chapter, Jenkins uses "Photoshop for Democracy" as a way to further political statements (and other social statements, I suppose) through the use of upcoming technologies. He says that an idea needs to be furthered through "broad circulation" -- much like an advertisement (207). Some of those same principles are used for that circulation, using images that are " vivid, memorable, and evocative," (207). Such as the political statement featuring President Bush and 'The Apprentance' star Donald Trump, the two were mashed together through video editing to create a statement about 'firing' the President. The idea that the video went viral means that links were forwarded through email, posted on blogs, and featured on news sites. This resulted in more and more viewers reposting and forwarding that message, and also led to more followers for the cause. One interesting aspect about this video is that creator, LoPorto, was desperate for the NBC Corporation to sue them over copyrighted material so that the video would become even more public and possibly global. 


This chapter also talks about being effective with these statements, using public images (such as Donald Trump's executive duties) as media convergence and collective intelligence. These pieces of media already have a certain impact on consumers, so political activists are using those general ideas through media to make others think about their idea in a certain way. 


He talks about Photoshop, in particular, as a tool to create nice quality graphics at a low cost, and allows the public to "manipulate and recirculate powerful images to make a political statement" (221). This is a fairly accessible way for society to create a mixture of pop-culture and political opinion. To me, it seems like the home-version of a political cartoon. You can pair any celebrity snafu with a mistake by the Leader of the Free-World, and it can become popular and discusses around the watercooler. I feel like the people who create this type of art will be younger, more in touch with technology and the program, but the ones circulating would be anyone who is able to press 'FWD' on their emails.