Sunday, May 25, 2014

Chapter 1- Can Photography Change The World?

Can photographs change the world? Essentially, no they cannot. But if you think about the small time effects a photograph has on a community, society, or group of people it could change the world you live in. The point I am trying to make is that one image does not affect everyone in the world the same way, so I feel that it is impossible for one image to change the whole world.
Censorship, as well as resources has a part to play with this as well. People in a third world country who do not have the resources to even see such photojournalism obviously will not be effected by a photograph. A country that censors their citizens from seeing certain news could also be a factor in a photograph not being able to reach everyone, much less create an emotion from it.

To be clear, I think certain pictures in history have affected the world I personally live in. The best example I can think of is the photograph of the firefighters raising the American flag in the smoke and rubble of the twin towers after the planes hit on 9/11. Iconic images like that would definitely affect an American citizen, but it would not mean as much to a citizen of North Korea, for example, if they were even permitted to see such an image. Below is the photograph I have mentioned:


Image By: Thomas E. Franklin

No comments:

Post a Comment