Most, if not all choices and decisions made in our everyday life are to ensure that we not only survive but also make it in life.
Making it in life mainly requires that we strive to attain the life that we are constantly bombarded with as we go about our daily businesses and this is usually achieved through several platforms such as social media, television and adverts among others, usually depicting wealth, luxury, fast cars and comfort.
The urge to prosper in life is so in-born some have described it as ‘second nature’ or instinct. However, just because we all have the desire to live the ‘American dream’ does not mean that everyone is entitled to a meal ticket at the end of the day. But for those many who have failed miserably at life, all hope is not lost; millions of people come up with ways and methods in which they can forge a way to their desires if not just for a like or a retweet on social media!
Uganda, like any other country, is filled with millions of red-blooded humans, who are no exception to the latest media craze. Constantly on the move and desperately trying to keep up with the era, Ugandans have experienced wave after wave of new and exciting patterns in the social media sphere.
We’ve seen the baggy and skinny jeans, tight fittings, the Brazilian hair, the crop tops, the Mohawk and this is not to mention the gadget craze where the smart phone is trending. And the list goes on. Interestingly, one new episode that has failed terribly to register with so many Ugandans is none other than the photo-shop craze.
Photo-shop is the app through which one sophisticated enough to use a computer or rather a tech-savvy nerd can virtually alter an image to create something entirely new or different with the help of apps such as Photo image-editing software, Jimp or Corel among other apps.
Indeed, Ugandans have managed to create a façade in which all their hearts’ desires are met, with no one the wiser on how and when they become so fortunate, or so they think.
However, it is not the use or accessibility of photo-shop that has proven to be a spectacle, but rather how miserably people are failing to click the art of photo-shop.
There is a common saying in Uganda that goes something like: ‘film star taffa’ loosely translating into ‘the protagonist in a film never dies’ lest the story prematurely ends.
And it is with this same ideology that so many Ugandans have refused to count their losses, choosing instead to keep on fighting to ensure that they too tell their story, be it real or virtual.
From fraternizing with wild animals to sitting atop the Empire State Building, the sky is the limit when it comes to the dreams that can be achieved by so many with the help of photo-shop.
We must understand that photo-shop has been in existence for some time now, most especially used by advertisement companies and many other media outlets to enhance photos to meet required market standards for advert use.
But when such technology is open to the public, and rest assured many will exploit such an opportunity, there is no telling what can happen; the unpredictability of the outcome is what has proven to be a spectacle of sheer amusement and entertainment for many internet users.
Interestingly, the amount of time and innovation put into these re-edited images can either render them a show of pure genius or source of ridicule!
Nonetheless, the key to a good photo-edit is to ensure that the re-invented image looks as authentic as possible; one small misplaced angle or feature is enough to blow the cover off any credible photo-shop.
Most common photo-shop images on the web today mostly include faked trips abroad, socializing with celebrities or postures next to flashy items and super cars among other fantasies.
It is not clear what exactly makes these photos a hit on the internet, whether it’s the pure hilarity of the obvious or the acrid stench of desperation that emits from the images. But one thing for sure is that they can make you famous.
A good example of failed nerds-turned-overnight-successful persons is Sevelyn Kinya also known as Seve Gats on Facebook of Kenya, one of many other photo-shopaholics. With a number of poorly edited images on Facebook, Kinya has managed to fake a number of trips to China including visiting the Great Wall. She has also indulged herself in a number of escapades on her profile, making her an internet sensation overnight, with her faked images getting several ‘likes and shares’ across the world on Facebook.
Fortunate for Ms Kinya, whatever she lacked in her photo-shop expertise she made up for in consistency, landing her an actual trip to China, funded by fellow countrymen who were touched by her pitiful attempts at persistently faking an imagined trip.
Indeed, Ms Kinya’s persistence goes a long way in showing that it is never a good idea to give up on your dreams!
