#CEID100project EID100project

[ceid100project]

What is Visual Culture?

With approximately 86 percent of Canadians owning smartphones, the use of digital technologies has become part of modern culture. A smartphone makes convenient to capture pictures and videos and instantly share with friends and family.

A picture says a thousand words …or saves you the trouble from writing a thousand words! Or says words a thousand different ways? Social media platforms primarily used for image-sharing such as Instagram and Snapchat are most popular among teenagers while older, text-heavy platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are on the decline. No doubt it can be more efficient to post an Instagram story rather than a Facebook check-in about where you are. However, it’s important to note that not everyone interprets a picture the same way.

The example above is of a clenched fist. Some may interpret this a symbol for social justice; others may interpret this as a threatening gesture. How it is interpreted depends on who the individual is.

Semiotics is the study of signs – how something non-textual is interpreted differently or carries different meanings for others. Learn more about semiotics here.

Digital Manipulation

There are tools you can use to edit or remix photos. Programs such as Photoshop or Illustrator allow you to crop and cut. Even Instagram and Snapchat have filters to make portraits and selfies much more exciting!

Photo from Instagram-Press blog

[shanzey]

Hey everyone! Check out the video my group made to help build your personal brand!

Hope you enjoy!

All videos and images are sourced from Pixabay or created. No attribution is required.

References:

Labrecque, L. I., Markos, E., & Milne, G. R. (2011). Online personal branding: Processes, challenges, and implications. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 25(1), 37-50. doi:10.1016/j.intmar.2010.09.002

Personal Branding on Social Media in 5 Steps. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://blog.smarp.com/how-to-build-your-influence-on-social-media-your-personal-brand.

[obaode]

CEID100: Final Project

My group (Abdul-Rahman Rustom and Elry Koganemaru) and I have made a blog about personal branding (as per our proposal).

[ceid100project]

Visual culture and your social life

In one of our earlier posts, you learned about what visual culture is and how development of digital technologies that contribute to the making of visual culture. But how does visual culture play a part in your social life? We can examine its impacts in the use of social media and image-sharing to connect and build relationships with others. Rather than just serving as a keepsake, images function to communicate the present; where you are, who you are with, and what you are doing.

In Terms of Service: Social Media and the Price of Constant connection, Jacob Silverman writes, "Sharing itself becomes personhood, with activities taking on meaning not for their basic content but for the way they are turned into content, disseminated through the digital network, and responded to." We are in a time where the quality or content of an image you post can impact how others perceive you. For example, if you post a photo of a moldy piece of bread, someone might think you have bad eating habits. Perhaps a far stretch – but in reality, the response you receive from a post can impact your sense of self.

nobodylikesme by iHeart

Do you remember when you got your first smartphone? How did it change the way you spent your time? How did it change the way you interacted with your family, friends, and peers? How did it change the way you see yourself? 

Constant Connection

Being able to send and receive a high volume of images and videos at a fast rate is a fun way to stay connected. You can get a glimpse of how it’s like to live in a different part of the world or find out where your favorite musician likes to shop. 

Our social interactions with one another have changed due to the dominance of images and digital technologies.

sideswiped by iHeart

Be Aware

While digital technologies and visual culture continue to grow, staying connected can have it’s downsides:

Sharing images publicly and having an online presence can make you susceptible to cyberbullying

Constantly looking at images can be distracting

Intimacy issues with friends and family