What are the potential negative impacts of the ubiquitous nature of digital photography, particularly the cultural aspect and for kids growing up with it?

Long response was just lost and wrists too tired to rewrite. Will post at some point. Shit!

I HATE when that happens, @janbb!! Did you try hitting the back button on your browser?

I heard a story on NPR recently about sharing pictures of kids on sites like Facebook. What I found most troublesome was the fact that these kids have a digital footprint from literally the day they are born and have no control over it. My step-son tweeted his daugher’s birth and had photos online within hours.

@hearkat Yes, I did and it was gone, gone, gone….

I don’t know that its a negative thing. My kids grew up in front of a 35mm and my grandkids have grown up with a digital camera in their faces. One grand daughter, in particular, really loves posing for pics, and has since she was about two. She’s 10 now.

They’re so used to it that most of my shots of them could be considered candid (except for the afore mentioned grand daughter when she’s posing.)

So many Pictures

Ha ha! Look at my avatar! Corrie posted it and titled it “Her first selfie!” :D

Why would digital cameras lead to more posed shots? I have found the opposite to be true. With film cameras, I had a very limited number of pics I could take at a time and I wanted them all to turn out so I posed more. With digital, not only do I have almost unlimited shots, but I also can run a short film instead of taking a shot. Then I can see the film frame by frame and take the best candid or action shot possible. I can also take more risks and do candid and action shots much more often. I rarely have my daughter pose for shots.

In a way, it was better to be limited. You were really careful about what was picture worthy and what isn’t.

Actually, now that I think of it, you’re liable to wind up with more candid shots because you can take so many, many pictures of the one person.

@keobooks – You make a good point, but I am only going by what I see other people showing off – it’s like the kids stop what they’re doing and pose when they see the device held up to take a picture. It may be that the families are prompting them to pose, but I get the impression that they’re hyper-aware of when they’re being photographed or recorded.

This isn’t true of ALL my friends, of course. In fact, one takes the most wonderful candid photos of his kids and they really are the most adorable little ones I’ve ever seen. I’m not even related to them and they make me catch my breath at times. I almost think those kids would think something was wrong if daddy didn’t have an iPhone at the end of his arm.

@Dutchess_III – we could start another post on the people who post every single picture they take without picking and choosing the best from the bunch, and other such complaints!

No lie, two hours ago, I had lunch with eight different model agents from all over the US.
This topic came up.

Lot’s of perspectives floating around. But one continuing theme was that the digital selfie has accomplished two things.

1 – EVERYONE thinks they are a super model equating their bathroom photos with the cover of Vogue magazine. False sense of self image.

2 – There has been a grand loss of taste. The joy comes from clicking the button and seeing one’s self published immediately. No effort is required to feel famous. No respect for artistic clothing designers, hair and makeup stylists, refined photographic techniques.

Everyone at the table had been in the business for at least three decades, having witnessed the transition from film to digital. Half of the participants had lived in Europe for at least a decade. The reason I mention that, is to emphasize their qualifications for having exposed themselves to different cultures. I think that is important.

<———- Cutest selfie ever!!

I’ve seen a couple of decent selfies (Italian Princess comes to mind) but others….I’m going “Oh my God!” Especially if it’s of an older person. Why in the world would you want all your wrinkles and old people flaws on display, up close and personal? Before any one jumps me….that’s exactly why I would never post a selfie of myself. It would not be attractive at all.

The relentless presence of the camera/eye makes their entire lives an exaggerated selfie. It’s not just about who you are, but now it’s also about how that translates onto social media. What’s the best angle to frame your life? There’s a performative aspect to it that I find troubling.

I think we’ve created our own little panopticon.

Great question, @hearkat.

As a disclaimer – I do not have experience with older kids, so I may be out of the loop here. My oldest will be in 7th grade this fall, and she doesn’t have a phone.

@hearkat: “I guess my main question is the cultural aspect digital photography regarding of the value of the photo documenting the occasion versus being in the moment to enjoy the experience and make real memories. What are today’s generation of kids learning about the value of participating in an event as opposed to the value of showing that you were there?”

I’ve heard this concern expressed in many forms, including Louis CK’s rants. While I generally agree that many people use the camera as an additional buffer that keeps them from experiencing the actual moment, I am not convinced that it is the ubiquity of the technology that has resulted in this inability to connect with the present. In other words, the people who we find hiding behind their cameras/phones/tablets, snapping away, are not people who had previously been fully engaged in the present prior to such inventions.

And while I’m not a psychologist in any way, I can’t imagine that the obvious and desperate acts of vanity and image-shaping that takes place via photography and social networks originates from a new aspect of human adolescent desire and behavior. To an older generation, however, the novelty of seeing a rapid shift in teen behavior might make it more difficult to identify how familiar and normal the motivations of these teens are. I don’t think – and I could be wrong – we were any different as kids. We were pimply, hormone-driven attention seekers who were attempting to find a way to be recognized and appreciated. And we used the methods and tools we had at the time. Changing the tool doesn’t necessarily change the game and its goals.

But excellent question. I’ll try to think about this more.

Here’s part of my answer that got lost yesterday. When I was in the Philips Gallery in D.C. A few years ago, I was shocked to see many. many people standing in front of the art and taking pictures. As well as detracting from my ability to see and experience the art, I felt that it put a distance between them and the art. If you need a copy of the artwork, why not buy a postcard in the gift shop afterward? Is it only “real” if they photograph it?

On a trip to France some years ago, one egotist in the group insisted on passing around her camera with digital photos of what we were then currently experiencing!

As for children, people have always shot holiday snaps but there is definitely a rise in sharing our stuff online. Don’t know if this is good or bad. Certainly feel that some aspects shouldn’t be shared and that there is a danger of the digital life getting more important than the experience. (Or coming back to bite one on a job interview.)

I forgot to mention that I used to use the act of photography in my mindfulness practice. Throughout my day, I would take photos of colors, textures, angles, light, shadows, and the general beauty that can be found all around us but is only registered as “environment”. I found that what started as forced intention became near-habit, and it resulted in an ability to see and appreciate more clearly.

Digital photography works two ways—first, it can bring excitement because of the images produced and second, it can bring problems as people have no boundary when accessing photos online. They can use them without permission.

@JSmithPostific – Welcome to Fluther. The question titles here are similar to the subject line of an email, and the meat of the question is usually found in the details.

I was mostly wondering about the cultural impact on kids who are growing up with cameras pointed at them nearly all the time.

I was at a family get together and Chris’ daughter, Adrionna, was trying to tell me something. She’s only 2½ and her command of pronunciation isn’t all that great. She tried and tried to tell me what ever it was, then she grabbed my finger and dragged me into the house, over to the kitchen counter and pointed. I picked up my camera and said, “You want me to get my camera?”
She said “Yes!”
So I did. :D

@keobooks makes a core observation: “With digital… I have almost unlimited shots” that make a huge difference. Often you have a lot more pictures of the same subjects than you would ever have taken with a film camera (due to expense) and you pick from among them what to post, hopefully the best.
I blame editorial skill and motivation for the problems raised.

I totally agree that one’s posts could be a liability down the road.
International agreements are more likely to make personal data ownership extinct than they are to protect it.

Does anyone have an opinion on what the impact is on the kids who are always “the star of the show” and the center of attention in front of a camera?

An acquaintance posted a pic of her young daughter (~5 years old) in her bikini with this pose and facial expression that seemed so inappropriate to me, yet everyone was commenting how cute she was, calling her a “diva” and telling her to “work it”. Is our culture OK with this?

@hearkat I heaven’t really experienced this personally. My DIL had a blog the first year they were in Paris and had a feature called “Bigger than a baguette?” in which she posted pics of my grandson next to a baguette. But when he was a bit older, she decided not to continue the blog because it would violate his privacy.

What you are talking about seems like an extension of the general sexualization of young girls that is very troubling. Facebook, etc. is an easy way to share pics with friends and family but it is also easy to cast too large a “net.”

It’s not just the sexualization, although that is evidently a major issue with that particular post. It’s boys, too, and the “attention-whore” mindset – which is why I mentioned reality shows in the OP.

I have a very tough time trying to find the right wording for my concerns.

^ I know what you mean. I’ve seen children freezing as soon as a camera is pointed at them. I’m hoping the trend to take pictures always, everywhere will erase that phenomenom through habituation.

@hearkat I guess I see most of it as a growing tend toward general narcissism in the total population then.

Well, we’ve always taken inordinate amounts of pictures of our kids. I have, anyway. Adrionna, the 2 year old, loves looking at pictures of babies and other kids, in fact, all pictures on my camera. She loves naming the people she knows or the object she recognizes.

@janbb ”… a growing tend toward general narcissism in the total population then….” You nailed it. People are mistaking all of the “You are important, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” messages to mean “You’re more important than any one else.”

I’ve just witnessed all the special moments of a sleepover for two ten year old girls thanks to Facebook. Here it is almost 1am and the grandmother and mother of a friend of my daughter is posting pictures of all the activities. The girls (not my daughter. her friend and another girl) were just posing with facial masks on. Then we got to see them pose after they played blindfold makeup. Another facial mask was needed after the removal of the makeup. There were plenty of pictures taken and shared. The girls were also posing for pics earlier when they played mini golf and when they were pushing each other in a shopping cart at Walmart. There must have been at least 25 pictures posted from the evening.

I think this is a a great question @hearkat. I don’t have an answer, but I am concerned about the possible negative impact this might have on our youth.