Trainer Quest #1: bell hooks & “Digital Blackface”
1.) How do these readings change your understanding of images?
bell hooks: This reading made me realize how revolutionary the photograph is. All my life I’ve been surrounded by photography so I’ve never really taken the time to ponder the impact of the invention. On page 60, hooks says “And ultimately these images, the world they recorded, could be hidden, to be discovered at another time. Had the camera been there when slavery ended, it could’ve provided images that would have helped folks searching for lost kin and loved ones.” That is just one example of the impact cameras and photographs now have on making our lives easier and using it to advance our society. Photographs can also capture powerful moments and record history. Photography is an entire art form within itself. This reading also made me think of some of my own family pictures - pictures of my parents partying in high school, young and carefree. I envisioned a picture of myself dressed up in a sparkly shirt with sequins on it, a tutu, and a tiara on the top of my head. hooks describing her childhood photo of her dressed up as a cowgirl sparked this memory of my own dress up photos.
Digital Blackface: This article really shifted my perspective on the use of reaction GIFs. I never really noticed the amount of black reaction GIFs until it was brought to my attention. I also would’ve probably never really considered it offensive until reading this article, it was really eye-opening. It made me think of all the times I’ve used reaction GIFs or laughed watching “Bed Intruder” or “Aint Nobody Got Time For That” on YouTube. This article showed me how white supremacy can live on in these micro-aggressions hidden in internet images. Being white has shielded me from experiencing the oppression that black people still face even in 2017.
Does this reveal anything about your own digital practice and culture?
bell hooks: I believe that digital photographs have had a huge impact on our society within the past decade or so with the invention of social media. Now people can share multiple photographs with hundreds of people mere seconds after taking it. The accessibility of photography and cameras is at an all time high with smart phones on the rise. In today’s world people share photographs of their daily activities, their vacations, photos with friends, food, concerts, events - everything appears to be documented. I currently have 12,259 photos on my iPhone camera roll and this is probably about average for someone my age in todays world. Photographs appear to lose their sentiment when there’s such a constant abundance of them. “Old,” printed out, family pictures, baby pictures, wedding photos, Christmas, and family get together photos are cherished and safely stored away or prominently on display in ones household. Now thousands of photos are stored away in our phone memory and forgotten about unless posted on social media, in which case the photo might be memorable if you have a positive response from your followers which can be determined by the number of likes or comments.
Digital Blackface: This article definitely will impact my digital practice from here on out. I will be more conscious of what reaction GIFs I use and it will encourage me to hesitate and consider others perspectives. Some of the GIFs featured in the article were some my friends had just recently tagged me in on Facebook or Instagram just the other day. It made me think of related issues such as cultural appropriation, one I also did not initially notice until brought to my attention via media I saw on Tumblr, in fact.
(Part 1/2)