Edited Images Shape The Narrative: How Fabricated Imagery Redefines Public Perception and Socio-Political Bias

Author(s)	Ms. Loverose Preet Kaur
Country	India
Abstract	A picture is worth a thousand words; nonetheless, it can also write a thousand lies. We routinely accept what we see visually without critical query, rendering digital edits extraordinarily dangerous in shaping public consensus. This paper explores how edited imagery fuels socio-political prejudice. Moving beyond dry discussions of 'fake news', we analyze how subtle graphical manipulations—such as darkening skin color, accentuating aggressive facial expressions, or cluttering physical backgrounds—unconsciously cue deeply rooted cognitive stereotypes. By tracing impact across reportages on crime, social protest, and political campaigning, this study demonstrates that photographic changes are far from benign technical tweaks. Rather, they serve as vehicles for sustaining systematic marginalization. There is a psychological urgency to dismantle the baseline presumption of literal photographic truth in news coverage to prevent misleading imagery from cementing structural disparities.
Keywords	Edited Images, Cognitive Bias, Social Representation, Media Framing, Generative AI, Psychological Priming, Digital Ethics of Care
Field	Sociology > Journalism / Media
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-05-23

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