Walter Benjamin. - "Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction"

How do the ideas from Walter Benjamin's "Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" apply to contemporary digital media?
In Walter Benjamin's "Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" he states that art has always be able to be replicated through new digital media. Thanks to technology, the use of computers and other digital programs anyone is now able to create or revamp artwork that is either new or old. The poses the question weather new digital art is considered new or plagerised and copied artwork.


There was a time when "Art" was made by artists who were skilled professionals. Now that anyone with a computer can create things digitally (music, images, videos, etc), what does that mean for "art"?
It is clear that anyone who owns a computer can now digitally create art, with the use of music, imagery and videos. The fact is that, yes, digital technology today has broadened the boudaries for 'Art', but those professionals real artwork is still recognised today. It is clear that digital computerised art does not hold the true and realistic qualities of those real artworks. This could be a positive or negative aspect for either digital artists or real artists who rely on free hand to make art. This just shows as technology advances many things can change. Compters give people with no artistic background the chance to create digital art.
"...the unique value of the “authentic” work of art has its basis in ritual, the location of its original use value." - W. Benjamin.


Is a photoshopped image "authentic"? & Do digital "things" have an "aura" (in Benjamin's terms)?
From Benjamin's point of view a photoshopped image is not 'authentic'. In his terms digital things have no 'aura' because the original subject and original existence of the production is no longer there. In other words once it is digitalised and edited using digital programs the image etc. does not hold its atheticity.