This week the focus of our learning was around the changing world of photography, with constantly evolving digital technology, especially the smart phone and it’s link to social media. This has had a tremendous impact on photography and on the associated industries with the rise of the phenomenon of ‘user-generated content’ and citizen journalism.

There were interesting discussions about this in our weekly forum and opinions are varied about whether this is a positive or negative phenomenon. In my opinion the use of smart phones has made photography accessible to most people, breaking down barriers to this medium and encouraging people to explore visual documentary of their lives and the world they live in, as well as being able to share these images. 

This leads into citizen journalism which I do believe has its place in these times – modern media seems to have become increasingly more biased  and narrow in scope which is why citizen journalism can provide real time, on the ground footage of events that might otherwise not have been shared.  The lack of editing and technique gives it a sense of immediacy and gritty realism which can have a strong emotive impact. 

On the negative side, there can be an element of sensationalism where people are constructing scenarios, or taking unnecessary risks to get more views or likes.  This can lead to a lack of context to the images and also a lack of respect or sensitivity towards the situation being photographed.  There have also been a number of incidents where people have died or been injured while taking selfies in an effort to get the best locations or views.

Although I am not interested in selfies or sensationalism, I must admit that I am an avid ‘Instagrammer’ and took to it very readily.  Personally, I have had very positive experiences and have found it to be quite valuable in terms of networking and creating an online presence.  Instagram’s estimated value, which appears to be rising rapidly, is a reflection of the growth in popularity of this medium as more and more people seek visual content rather than written word.  I think professionals have quickly realised that if you are in any way involved in visual media, then Instagram is the platform to be using.