My View: TV's box of tricks out of tune with popular opinion

First it was air-brushing, which made even the dumpiest of models look like a goddess, and now it is Auto-tuning, which can make the flattest singer sound like an angel.

X-Factor bosses are coming under increasing pressure to apologise after claims the programme used the latest technology to enhance contestants' voices. The first episode of the seventh series of the TV talent show, on Saturday night, attracted 11.1 million viewers as the judging panel auditioned hopefuls in Glasgow and London. However, after the programme there was a storm of criticism from fans complaining that many of the singers sounded as if their pitch had been corrected. Thousands of people have taken to social networking sites and Twitter to express their fury.

Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom received 30 complaints about the use of the technology, which they felt was misleading.

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It is yet another example of viewers being left feeling conned. There was the infamous phone-in scandal from which many broadcasters are still recovering, but it appears programme makers have learnt nothing.

Clearly, so-called "reality" television is edited and manipulated to make the most dramatic programme possible, but when that starts to affect the actual performances within a talent show where the public are asked to vote, it is misleading.There is also a deeper implication for younger viewers of such programmes.

What are they supposed to believe any more in a world where almost every image is airbrushed and there is no way of knowing if their pop idols can actually sing or not?

What role models are we setting for our children when

the world they watch is not a real one, or one that they can seriously strive to achieve? We are setting up an entire generation for failure.

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If these types of technologies are to be used to make the real world unreal, then there should be a responsibility on those reproducing the images or making the programmes to make it clear that what we are seeing and hearing has been manipulated in some way.

The Girl Guides have already launched a campaign calling for every airbrushed image in magazine and newspapers to be labelled. They launched the campaign after research showing that girls as young as 10 are worried about their weight and half of teenagers would consider cosmetic surgery. A previous study found girls feel pressure to grow up too quickly, leading to mental health problems, panic attacks and self-harm.

It now seems the Girlguiding UK campaign does not go far enough in a world where we can no longer believe what we hear or see.