Please see PDF’s for easier reading directions and required reading resources for citations.
Complete Required Reading:
• Hirsch, Robert. Seizing the Light, 3rd Edition. Routledge, 2017. VitalBook file. (CHAPTER 20)
Additional Resources:
• Is Social Media Destroying the Art of Photography?
o https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/social-media-destroying-art-photographyInterpreting
• Public Faces: Photography as Social Media in the 19th Century
o https://www.icp.org/perspective/public-faces-photography-as-social-media-in-the-19th-century
• HOMO PHOTOCUS and Digital Photography (attached)
• The Susan Sontag Guide to Photography in the Age of Digital Culture
o https://slate.com/technology/2013/10/susan-sontag-photography-and-social-networking.html
• What’s in a Name? (attached)
• Extracts From Introduction to the Photographic Image in Digital Culture (attached)
Module Overview:
Contemporary Photography
In the contemporary period, what new technologies have influenced the field of photography? How was photography changed by the transition from darkrooms to photo editing? How has photography changed with the proliferation of capture devices (point-and-shoot cameras or cell phone cameras)? How has social media influenced photography? What will history say about this period of photography?
As technology marches on and photography continues to expand, we see immense cultural changes. These advances in technology and mass media have broadened the scope of human awareness. The court of public opinion has extended well beyond geographic borders; an issue in one part of the world becomes fodder for change in other parts. The idea of a shared humanity has been redefined not as essential but as something governed by a plurality of human experiences and interests—in a word, by difference. The paradox of dismantling photographic truths becomes more difficult. Images taken out of context or images that are modified add new elements to an image’s muddied history. How do we now believe what we see?
As you complete the textbook reading and give some thought to the status of photography in contemporary culture, think ahead to the future of photography, which you will consider for Module Eight. To what extent do photographers, subjects, and audiences endow photographic apparatuses with a subjectivity of their own? At what point does the “real” stop being what was in front of the camera and become a created image that merely symbolizes that reality?
This week’s discussion will focus on social media and its impact on photography. You will present your thoughts on these platforms and how they are shaping the history of photography. It is sometimes easy to get lost in social media, so remember that you will need time this week to complete and submit your final project. Be sure to incorporate the feedback you have received from the previous milestones.
Assignment: Discussion 7 – Social Media
1. Select a social media platform and discuss its influence relating to photography. Consider the following (MLA Format / 225 – 275 words):
a. What is the platform’s impact on photography?
b. How has its use of photographs made the world smaller?
c. Does the way the platform is designed alter the way that users imagine or experience their lives in the real world?
d. Some people believe that social media discourages experimentation and uniqueness in photography and encourages sameness through use of memetic or cliché approaches to images. Do you agree? Why or why not?
2. Include at least 2 citations from the required readings or additional resources and citations for any content you get from another source, whether words, ideas, or images. When in doubt…. cite your source! Direct quotes must be in quotation marks.
