Write a critical essay in response to ONE of the following questions:
- Using relevant case studies, discuss whether digital cameras and related technologies for the dissemination of digital imagery have affected our choice of subject matter or how we take photographs.
- Has the ‘digital revolution’ created more problems than opportunities for today’s professional photographers? Discuss this question using relevant case studies and/or specific aspects of modern professional photography.
- Discuss how the conditions of the ‘post-photographic era’ relate to a particular area or institution of photography.
- What is your understanding of the‘digital self’and what is the effect of our everyday use of photography upon it? Discuss using relevant case studies and published research.
Research on Digital self:
- Medium. 2019. Your digital self — why you should keep every byte you create. [ONLINE] Available at: https://medium.com/textileio/your-digital-self-why-you-should-keep-every-byte-you-create-3a73bf0b3eb1. [Accessed 15 January 2019].
- YouTube. 2019. The digital self: Ian Williams at TEDxLakeville – YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3bpQzH7-mg. [Accessed 15 January 2019].
- British Journal of Photography. 2019. Photography and social media: Three perspectives – British Journal of Photography. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.bjp-online.com/2017/12/a-creative-approach-three-photographers-reflect-on-their-use-of-social-media/. [Accessed 18 January 2019]. Three artists on their use of social media
- Barrenechea M. 2017, Mark, Opentext≈, retrieved 14 March 2019, <https://blogs.opentext.com/the-digital-self/>
ESSAY:
REFLECTION:
As someone who has lived through the whole development of the digital explosion I found it extremely interesting to read about how it is developing and where we have arrived. Because of my husband’s involvement, in the early days, I found reviewing the topic specially interesting.
It is an enormous topic with so many facades. In an essay of 2.500 words is only possible to concentrate on certain aspects and to scratch the surface of the these topics. For this reason I decided to investigate my own ‘Digital Self’, as a photographer, and to expand this very slightly to a few other examples of photographers.
I have barely touched the whole area of ‘selfies’ or the world of gaming and gamers. I have mentioned ‘influencers’ but barely exposed their function in the digital world. The use and abuse of the Internet to turn us, the users, into ‘the product’ was mentioned but not expanded. I have not touched YouTube or Vimeo. I have not mentioned the Dark Internet, Pornography on the net or Internets use as a propaganda tool.
However I feel that I have fulfilled the brief within the limits I set for myself.
TUTOR FEEDBACK
We had a very successful Skype feedback discussion. The connection was good so we were able to have a fairly extensive discussion both about the essay and the upcoming assignments.
In general my tutor made favourable comments about the essay. She made a couple of suggestions which can be viewed in the written feedback.
I took these on board as far as was possible within the word count limitation. I would have liked to expand on the Carole Cadwalladr TED talk.
The refined essay is below:
Digital Image & Culture 