Elliot James

Note To Self: The Visual Culture Of Selfies In The Age Of Social Media

This weeks reading Note to self: The Visual Culture of selfies in the age of social media by Derek Conrad Murray discusses the selfie and the impact the way we perceive images and how they are shared. Whilst talking about the selfie we must note this is important because the camera is easy to get hold of. Almost every person with a mobile phone has access to a front and back facing camera in which they can take photos of themselves (Selfies) and other things around them. Murray talks about the impact of the selfie especially the impact on women in the younger generation. The selfie has both good and bad points. Easy access to a camera and easy to share on social media but in 2013 a selfie that featured Barack Obama, Danish Prime Minister and David Cameron was taken very badly, because of social media and news the photo spread quickly and the three men gained a lot of hatred for the photo. It was described as an act of “Narcissism”.

The selfie is often seen as a childish action that is only done by people who are self centred and superficial. It should also be considered that a lot of the photographs we see that involve the front camera are of Women naked or engaging with a sexual activity. With the Selfie has come a simple way to please other sexually without being in the same room. Just like when the mobile phone was invented there was “Sexting” (Sex Texting) the selfie has created a whole new level of people being able to quickly send photographs of themselves naked to gain the attention of others. This also comes with risks of bribery and blackmail. It is well known that these photographs are not aimed to go public but directly to one person, and it has also been known that Selfies of the sexual kind have been used for gain other than sexual pleasure. Often people threatening to sent other peoples pictures if a price is not payed.

Overall I think this article is a good read and one that is very informative about the modern day selfie. It outlies both the good and the bad and at the same time tells us in detail about feminism within this area.

The article GirlGaze written by Ruxandra Looft is a fantastic read and on that has given me an in depth look at what feminism is and what it stands for. It also offers an insight into what the fourth wave feminism is and its current impacts on modern day society. According to the article the entire project started out initially to get young women and women into the art of  photography, and encourage them to go forth and  become photographers which was overall a male dominated profession. Once the project took off on the TeenVogue Website women from all areas of the globe were showcasing their work. This is a fantastic story since women felt they didn’t have to hide their talents anymore and were able to show their work freely without feeling beaten down by the male dominated industry.

The Hashtag didn’t stop with just women it also went out to making people in “disadvantaged and underrepresented” countries able to share what they could do. It focused on diversity, women everywhere and young people now had a place amongst photographers. There is of course the side that this is a form of activism and personally not a bad one. With social media being a great platform for this to take place it offered people to also look at other cultures and work from around the world and discuss feminism? The question is then raised that for those who cannot reach a social media platform how will they be a part of this fantastic wave? People in countries unable to connect to these platforms are unable to share what they can do.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this article because it not only offered an insight into the key points of women not hiding their work but it also worked towards the factor of photography being a divers practice. In modern day society we know that photography is not offered to everyone in every country due to costs of cameras however the article gives us hope that someday soon children, women and men who live in Less Economically Developed Countries will be able to learn the art of Photography.

Whilst reading the above book I very much feel it embraced true issues that occur today. The way in which it enlists specific celebrities and talent such as Kate Moss, Keira Knightly and Scarlett Johansson really does set an example to how big a problem photo editing is.  Due to having what is considered a more athletic figure Keira Knightly had editing done to create a fuller body and one that was more grown up and feminine in other words what is considered more “Sexually Appealing”.

People are so used to seeing airbrushed material that is has become a typical thing very much that editors do. It is more accepted today however, it is still something that is considered a problem due to the nature of the editing. Such bodies are impossible to achieve and therefore make younger and people less comfortable about themselves struggle to achieve something that truly is unachievable. They say reach for the stars but really, it’s like reaching for the sun and you’re never going to get there before you get burnt.

Overall the text has very much made me think about the way in which society takes editing software like Photoshop for granted. We overuse it to an extent where it’s no longer artistic but simply a contest for a front page. We should be comfortable the way we are and reaching to be like people mentally not physically.

During his book Changing Places: The rebranding of photography as contemporary art Alexandra Moschovi tells us about how photography has been perceived over time as an art form. He tells us how Alan Downess the director of The Tate Modern Gallery in London in 1982 says that he would not accept photography work unless it was an extension of a piece of art work. By this he means paintings and drawings.  Over many years photography is seen as worthless in comparison to Artwork because it can be produced in masses and therefore displayed in multiple galleries at one time. This means that in comparison to a painting people don’t travel and flock in the masses to see a specific photograph because it can be easily recreated and or printed for separate galleries. Harvey then goes on to tell us about Monopoly Rent which means that due to the mass printing of Photography people were not paying to see it in galleries because it could be bought easily and displayed within a home setting.

Over time photography did increase in popularity especially during the 80’s as we were more advanced with technology and photography became a more recognized source of Art. It slowly became more popular in Galleries and Museums because people wanted to see more realistic exhibitions as the world moved forward. This period is known as the anti-art movement. People decided that photography was more affordable and therefore was something they could display in their own home as well as seeing it in a gallery or museum.