I often ponder the effects of social media on the photographic approach. First of all, photography is much more accessible and democratic today than any point in history. The trajectory appears to continue. A chicken on every plate, a car in every garage, and a smartphone in every hand--is that how the old adage goes? It does now. Today, we each have a small spotlight--an unprecedented occurrence. It would be bizarre to even begin to explain this phenomenon to anyone twenty, thirty years ago. Today, we take photos through the lens of how they may be perceived by others online. For these reasons, I believe that social media has come to facilitate our photographic experience.
I enjoy social media. It's a tool. It is neither good nor bad, its vice or virtue depends on how we choose to deploy it. However, it poses a viral externality towards the art of photography; a contagion that spares few. From the teenage girl at a fall pumpkin patch to the professional traveling landscape photographer, we are afflicted with a purpose of posting.
How much of our life experience is facilitated through what we photograph, in general? (See Susan Sontag's On Photography for an in-depth exploration)
How much of what we photograph is facilitated through what we intend to share online?
You could even take it a step deeper, if you dare: How much of what we share online is facilitated by how much engagement it receives?
Suddenly, we've dug ourselves deep. What we do in life becomes for the sake earning engagement points. Not everyone, and not always, but it seems increasingly more rare to shoot for the sake of shooting, in itself. And maybe even to live, for the sake of living, without having some sort of urge or obligation to share evidence of the experience. It's really not a radical thought: people go places for the photo opp. For the content. Honestly, I cringe when I hear the word content. To "put out content" sounds numbing, indifferent, forced, monotonous, mediocre. Don't make something out just to make it, you'll spoil the pot. Personally, I use social media with intention, or not at all. That goes for what I create and what I consume. I post with intention, I photograph with intention, I live with intention, I believe it's all a network that bleeds together.
We've all heard the saying, "who were you before the world told you who to be?" But what about, "how would you shoot before you knew anyone was looking?"
Let's use our tools wisely and purposefully.