diff --git a/blogContent/posts/photography/photography-in-the-age-of-social-media.md b/blogContent/posts/photography/photography-in-the-age-of-social-media.md index f61de33..14b5c4f 100644 --- a/blogContent/posts/photography/photography-in-the-age-of-social-media.md +++ b/blogContent/posts/photography/photography-in-the-age-of-social-media.md @@ -1,35 +1,44 @@ John Green's recent video on [Vlogbrothers](https://www.youtube.com/vlogbrothers) got me thinking a lot about -why I take photos and the impact that social media has had on photography. +why I take photos and the impact that social media has had on my journey in photography. I first got into photography when I was young. I was obsessed with taking photos -of anything from my toys to the breathtaking scenery of state parks. Most of the photos I took were -of random trees and stuff, only a few photos turned out decent. However, back then it did not matter -the quality of the photos, the important thing was that I was preserving, capturing, and -digitizing something so real and breathtaking. Back then photography was a tool -for archiving the past: a way of stamping reality. John Green in his videos said +of anything from my toys to the breathtaking scenery of state parks. Most of the photos I took were distorted gibberish: random fragments +of trees and stuff lying around in my back yard. However, back then photo quality did not matter to me, +the important thing was that I was preserving, capturing, and +digitizing something real and breathtaking. Back then, photography was a tool +allowing me to archive and remember the past: a way of stamping reality. John Green in his videos said "I sometimes fell like something isn't really real unless I've documented it, - as if my memories and even my life will just split past like the clouds through last night sky". + as if my memories and even my life will just slip past like the clouds through last night sky". I lost interest in photography shortly after I started middle school. The only photography that I did was for social media. Apps like Snapchat and Instagram demand a constant stream of photos to bombard your friends with. This is how I slowly learned that -photography is merely a "cropping of reality". I often found myself searching for that -right moment to take a photo and turn it into a Snapchat story. I don't see this -as a huge issue, it is good to share your experiences; however, we -have to recognize that we present ourselves at our best -on social media. +photography is a "cropping of reality". I frequently found myself searching for that +right moment to take a photo and turn it into a Snapchat story. This is not +a huge issue, it is okay to share your experiences with people you care about; however, we +need to recognize that we present a polished version of ourselves on social media. + +Despite acknowledging the vast distance between photography on social media and reality, it is +hard for our minds to quantify the stark differences between these worlds. I take issue with people who do anniversary posts where they -post senior ball or vacation pictures annually with a short caption like "missing the beach". -Although we subconsciously know that people's lives are not always like their Instagram photos; -it is hard for younger impressionable people to make this distinction when scrolling through -a massive feed of photos portraying people at their best. That is why to this day -I prefer using Snapchat over Instagram. Snapchat is more personal and conversational capturing day to -day activities where Instragram is a more polished refined version of someone's desired -appearance. +share senior ball or vacation pictures annually with a short caption. +These anniversary posts aim to artificially inflate someones appearance on social media +when in reality their lives are quite normal. In response to the negative aspects of social media, there is a current trend +to ditch social media. Although "comparison is the thief of joy", +quitting social media is not the only solution. Only following close friends, limiting app usage, +and only using messaging centered apps are all great ways to reap the benefits +of social media while avoiding most of the negative consequences. + +Enough of my social media tangent, lets get back to photography. +I recently got back into photography as an artistic hobby rather than a means of +archiving events or creating content for social media. +As a programmer, it is exhausting to write code for forty hours a week at work +and then program even more as a hobby -- this is a perfect recipe for burnout. +Photography is a great way to spend free time since it is intellectually simulating, yet not +super rigorous and tiring. Photography encourages you to get +out and explore new places. In photography you are always learning, growing, and improving. + -While on an internship I found myself once again getting back into photography. -This time around I find myself doing this more as an artistic hobby rather -than an attempt to document my experiences or find something to post on social media.