Blog #7 ~ Visual Communities & Social Imaging
Smartphone technology has created this trend of taking selfies and being so concerned with capturing moments and taking snap of almost anything, anywhere and anytime whether that be with family, friends, pictures of one’s pet or the sunset or even breakfast, lunch and dinner meals. With the developments in camera technology, pictures are always enhancing and the standard are set high for quality images and videos, purchasing a smartphone today must come with the benefit of a built in camera that will grant the user with the ability to capture moments and fit in a world that values photos over human interaction and time appreciation.
It has become a seriously alarming habit and a trend that many users fancy and take advantage of or else they may feel left out in some way, it is no longer about age or mindset, as I’ve seen toddlers to seniors taking pictures and it was quite interesting to my eyes. The act of taking constant self portraits has become a way of self expression, so rather than representing one’s thoughts, feelings and personal stories in written text and taking time to enjoy the experiences, expression is now reflected via photos and videos and so much time and effort is given to taking pictures rather than living the moments.
Photographers no longer have the same privilege they once had, as personal photography has almost replaced the need to visit the professional studio or take hardcopy photos by someone who is entitled for the job. ‘However, personal photography begins with the introduction of the Kodak hand cameras in 1888, making the practice of photography accessible to the mass market.’(Vivienne & Burgess 2013, pp. 280) Social cohesion was previously experienced from close networks and family photo albums which were there to remind people of the good times and the talk would actually be in regards to the event and the feelings at that time rather than today where images are accepted based on perfection, quality and flawlessness as ‘material culture materializes identities.’ (Vivienne & Burgess 2013, pp.280)
A primary platform like Snapchat is successful with many users because it aims at overcoming the self-consciousness of being photographed and the discomfort that comes from stored images that can’t be controlled or altered. Snapchat even provides different filters that enhance the imperfections and make one’s selfie appear more pleasant and finely retouched, this is one reason why many appreciate selfies because they feel in control of the image, deciding whether it is acceptable to their eyes before its captured and seeing the best version of themselves through the filters provided. “The tension between experience for its own sake and experience we pursue just to post on Facebook is reaching its breaking point, that’s called Snapchat."(Herrman 2014) ‘Individuals are being remediated into new contexts of social visibility and connection through the ways that smartphones afford instant sharing of mobile snapshots with social networks via SMS, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat or Twitter.’ (Vivienne & Burgess 2013, pp.282)
The increased behaviour of taking photos and videos can become a form of distraction where people find it difficult to do anythin but take countless photos while outing with family and friends where time is supposed to be valued and memories are to be cherished. Now, we are able to take numerous photos which are stored automatically on the camera roll, this means people’s self esteem is determined by how good or bad the images turn out what we choose to share over social media is based on what we keep or delete, this makes us judgemental of ourselves and therefore of other people’s posts because there is a really high expectation of how one is supposed to appear and if otherwise then they may be disapproved or disliked by those who follow, like and comment. This further creates competition and possibly jealously between one another as everyone tries so hard to capture and post the best images of themselves, focusing on what they perceive to be positive about their appearance which makes them stand out from the crowd and be socially accepted, and supposedly confident in their own bodies. ‘The practices that surround personal images in the digital era, including selection, editing, transformation and distribution are mediated by the realities of socially networked identity.’ (Vivienne & Burgess 2013, pp.283)
References: ADWEEK 2018, Snapchat Is Making App Install Ads More Targeted With Deep Links, viewed 2 February, 2018, https://www.google.com.eg/search?q=snapchat&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CZqXoRQXTy3TIjjQdvSFux2hAvtsIB-X7d7xbTyrjLXS_1QCmCGXZQ-G63vLSQ8Iemu0mIQ29IFQhObcFvBdrwh3eGyoSCdB29IW7HaECEUb3Zau-GijoKhIJ-2wgH5ft3vER7u0hyP8KpAAqEgltPKuMtdL9ABEXKGfT-Tt9GCoSCaYIZdlD4breESe-6O5wOSAuKhIJ8tJDwh6a7SYR63cbBsfizP0qEgkhDb0gVCE5txFWsuhAEvp3fyoSCQW8F2vCHd4bEeBibpggC9uw&tbo=u&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqsMWY3orZAhUML1AKHSShDDEQ9C96BAgAEB4&biw=1330&bih=822&dpr=0.8#imgdii=Hq6StsyGfLU9KM:&imgrc=sqCiGK8s5cxbWM:
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Herrman, J 2014, "Meet The Man Who Got Inside Snapchat's Head", BuzzFeedNews, viewed 2 February, 2018, https://www.buzzfeed.com/jwherrman/meet-the-unlikely-academic-behind-snapchats-new-pitch?utm_term=.vqaM2KZapG#.ggv5gAQDWw
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Vivienne, S & Burgess, J 2013, The remediation of the personal photograph and the politics of self-representation in digital storytelling, SAGE, Australia, pp. 278-298, viewed 3 February, 2018, http://journals.sagepub.com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1177/1359183513492080
