Harris Poll Data from TRUEPIC Offers Unfiltered Look at Americans' Photo Editing Habits & Perceptions; Reveals 93% of Americans Suspect Online Photos Have Been Edited
SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwired - May 18, 2017) - Photos fuel our news feeds and drive many leading industries (including home rentals, car sales, insurance, online dating, beauty sales, and more) but, in today's digital world, images and videos can no longer be trusted or assumed to be accurate or authentic. With photo sharing at an all-time high, and filter/editing apps predominately populating charts, TRUEPIC, the mobile app for businesses and consumers to verify an image's authenticity, today released new data conducted online by Harris Poll around Americans' habits and perceptions of edited images.
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of TRUEPIC in March 2017 among over 2,000 U.S. adults 18+.
According to the survey, nearly two-thirds of Americans who have shared a photo online (64%) admit to having edited one prior to posting it online, yet the data shows they distrust sites whose users do the same. Nearly 80% of Americans suspect users of different sites (e.g., social media, dating sites, fitness sites) post altered images and say they distrust a website specifically because of the edited photos. The survey also details how people view image manipulation when it comes to businesses, others on social media, and themselves.
"People are both overwhelmingly editing photos prior to sharing online, and also highly suspect of photos that are shared by others, which could cause distrust between consumers and the online businesses they frequent," said Jeff McGregor, CEO of TRUEPIC. "As the world's first digital notary for photos, we aim to bring trust and credibility back to digital images."
In Photos We Distrust
When people or things are misrepresented online, it can affect a business' bottom line. According to one industry's estimates, property/casualty insurance fraud amounts to about $32 billion a year alone. TRUEPIC's survey data digs into details on these "digital darkroom delinquencies":
A Picture's Worth a Thousand… Likes?
Among the 82% of Americans who have shared a photo online, nearly two-thirds (64%) admit to editing a photo prior to posting. But the most common reason cited seems to forego ego -- 46% of Americans who have shared a photo online say they made edits to enhance the quality of the photograph overall.
Snap Judgments
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of TRUEPIC from March 7-9, 2017 among 2,133 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Stephanie Cooley, stephanie@dottedlinecomm.com.
About TRUEPIC
In a world where seeing is not always believing, TRUEPIC is the mobile app for businesses and consumers to verify an image's authenticity. TRUEPIC's patented technology acts as a notary for digital photos, driving confidence among consumers and businesses that a shared photo has not been altered in any way. Founded in La Jolla, CA, in 2016, TRUEPIC is led by serial entrepreneurs Craig Stack and Jeff McGregor and is backed by leading investors and advisors. More information can be found at www.truepic.com.
Contact Information:
Stephanie Cooley
stephanie@dottedlinecomm.com