LATERAL VIEWS
The Image Is No Longer Enough
For the longest time, we took images and videos as reliable evidence of reality and what had actually took place. This assumption is no longer valid, and it will become increasingly less so. Artificial intelligence is making any aesthetic replicable, including the “imperfect” look that for years we associated with authenticity. Because of this, aesthetics alone are no longer enough whether polished or raw, both are now replicable. The real shift is happening elsewhere: it concerns trust.
“Rawness” is no longer a guarantee; it is a phase, a style like any other. In a world where everything can be simulated, the image loses its value as proof and ceases to be a sufficient criterion. It no longer matters so much what we see, but who is showing it and for what reason.
Trust is shifting from images to continuity, from a single appearance to consistency over time, and from form to relationships. It is no coincidence that authentic sharing has progressively moved from public feeds to private spaces, from performative to relational content. We are entering an era of permanent doubt, where we no longer operate out of a belief in what we see; instead we approach reality from a skeptical position, slowly learning to observe people before images.
In this context, authenticity has shifted from an adopted style to a responsibility earned through transparency, consistency and presence; it cannot be proven in a single piece of content, but only through duration.