Is Social Media Destroying the Art of Photography?

Social media, it seems you can’t turn a page, scroll down a screen, or click on a text message without hearing about it these days. It’s a reality around the world that social media is not a trend and it’s here to stay.

A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. Perhaps the phrase is cliché, but the original sentiment remains very much relevant to how persons view media, particularly photographs in this digital age. My point is photographs used to be something to cherish. It seems people are no longer buying photo albums to house pictures of their loved ones as they can easily access digital photos on social media.

I personally love photography, have a talent for it and so I respect the amount of work photographers put into their photography.

But the big question is; Is social media destroying the art of photography?

Social media spans from Facebook to Twitter to YouTube to Pinterest just to name a few. There is a fairly new one, introduced a mere two years ago known as Instagram. What is Instagram you may ask? Well, “It’s a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your photos with friends and family. Take a picture; choose a filter to transform its look and impression, and then post to Instagram. With the ability to also share to Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites– it's as easy as taking candy from a baby. Simple put its photo sharing reinvented.

Everywhere people are using social media to engage and share news with their friends, family, and colleagues. Thanks to social media, news travels at the speed of light and many times when a crisis hits; it is first discovered on social media before mainstream media publishes it. As was the case with the Jamaican Drug Lord Christopher “Dudus” Coke who was wanted for crimes committed.

With the internet being increasingly popular, there are many mediums that allow persons to alter videos, games but more so photographs. 

If this is so, then “Why should newspaper, and magazines or other businesses pay people to take pictures if they could snap a few iPhone Instagram photos themselves? 

People read into the meaning of a photograph. Such is the case where there were some steamy photos of Konshens and Raine Seville circulating on social media sites. It was said that the two were involved sexually but the thought was dismissed after they both disclosed that the photos were for a video shoot for song on which the two collaborated.

Photoshop is also another thing to consider photos of persons on social media does not give a plain view of what they really look like. Whilst there are many benefits to Photoshop many people say it’s destroying the art of photography. I fully appreciate that Photoshop is useful, and we all like to recover those missed opportunities, but I really wonder if it is the tendency these days to intentionally let your pictures look “prettier”.

I don’t I think I take better photographs with an iPhone or any other phone for that matter. The photographs I take with my iPhone are only intended to be memoirs of a particular moment. I have never set out to make incredible images with a mobile phone.  It’s just done as a spur of the moment thing.

I always mess around with features when I take a photo to enhance the look of the photo on screen but I don't make an argument of it to think I take "great photographs" with an iPhone or any other mobile phone. I am sure many others will agree with me but then there will be others who will say otherwise.

But let me delve in a bit: social media won’t destroy the art of photography. For me, what i think social media do is damage our attitudes towards photographs. We can say that print photography is definitely declining; what we can say that this is a response to the digital age and not so much social media, so let’s not put all the blame on social media.

                                                            

Do let me know what your thoughts are!