To Pic or not to Pic - About Me or Memorials

    So as of writing this, everyone has been dealing with the coronavirus in many different ways; these ways can either be productive like exercising or not so productive like stuffing your face full of junk food. One commonality it seems that we share though is the use of social media. Though everyone might use it a different type of way (just scrolling, posting, keeping up with friends, etc), it is clear that many are turning to these platforms as restrictions and social distancing continue to be set in place.

 Who are we Posting for?

   As we think about social media, we must realize that we post so much content that we forget who might be looking at it and what we are posting. There is a question of whether we are conceded in our social media ventures as it is all centered around well... you! Think about it for a second, even if you do not post about yourself directly or post pictures with you in it, you are still posting about your adventures, what you like, what you find funny, what you agree or disagree with, etc. All of this culminates into who you are, or at least, whatever you select to post on social media. With that said, it should be a no-brainer as to how selfish social media is right? After all, if it just about your interests and desires it is to be it would seem. However, the social media rabbit hole goes a bit deeper than that when we realize that social media expands the idea that we use to memorialize beloved memories and the ones that we love so that we can cherish them even past death.

I had to have a bad dad pun in here somewhere - Meme from starecat.com

 The "Good Times"

    Sorry if I brought the atmosphere down a notch from my usual snide and facetious humor. We must examine the usage of social media and how it can be used to potentially debunk the myth that social media is fully about you and your selfish desire though. First off, we must realize that we are documenting essentially history and capturing people at a certain moment to create a snapshot of their lives during that time period. I am sure you can go through your camera and social media posts and find some friends who you used to know fairly well back in school or work, but now you are not nearly as close to them anymore so you use these photos to reminisce and think about the "good times" as we often think (though, this is often clouded by nostalgia, but still a good feeling nonetheless). If we dive deeper though, we can see that we also passively document our memories with people to remember them even past death. Death is obviously a hard topic to discuss, so much so that even the thought of seeing someone dead or hearing of someone's passing makes people uncomfortable. As Lee Humphreys, tells us in her book, The Qualified Self, "by the mid-twentieth century, memorial photography was taboo" but she also describes a turnaround as it is now standard to "offer professional photography and footprinting in situations of perinatal death (a child who comes out stillborn)" (Humphreys, pg. 79). This is quite grim to even imagine, but it does seem that we as a collective society have begun to accept that sharing such a traumatic death is therapeutic and almost necessary to do at this point. At the very least, many people feel as though it is important to notify your audience and followers on social media that a death has occurred in the family.

Jacksepticeye posts about his father's unfortunate passing

Coping with the Death of Loved Ones

    Since my last post was mostly centered around Jacksepticeye, I felt as though this was appropriate to also mention since he made this public information. Everyone copes with their loved one's death differently and as we can see here, Jacksepticeye wanted to inform his followers of what happened but did not want to go into detail about his father's death. Some even take it a bit farther like Scott Simon did as he documented his mother's death in its entirety. As sad as this might be, this was Simon's way of coping with the death of someone very close to him, and many people empathized and related to this raw use of social media posts. In these circumstances, we can see that these posts and use of social media do not come off selfish in terms of the poster expecting some type of clout or for people to put them in the spotlight as they are putting their deceased ones in that spotlight for social media. In a twisted way, some people might make the argument that these posters simply want attention and pity from people, but this is improbable to think about since many of these posts use rhetoric to suggest the unity of another person via familial or friendship type bonds and they use their platforms to express grief for someone they love dearly. This is why you will commonly see people use their own similar stories to relate to people, not to try and one-up them, but because that's how people empathize with others as one of our biggest skills as humans is the use of storytelling. With that in mind, it is not impossible to imagine social media like Facebook as a sort of virtual cemetery. In fact, within about 50 years, dead profiles will soon outnumber ones that are active and alive! Since these numbers are increasing every day, it is imperative that we discuss this issue and address these memorials for our loved ones in a healthy manner.

    Whether we are comfortable with it or not, we know death is inevitable for this physical plane. People are often trying to find many different ways to cope with the loss of their loved ones, some healthy and some of course not so healthy. Social media seems to be a huge outlet for coping and posting about their losses. With the original question in mind, are we selfish on social media? Well, the answer is that it is mixed it seems. We like likes and favorites on pictures of us and want people to pay attention to what matters to us, but there are times like posting about the passing of someone you love where a new community blossoms past the selfish self. We see that with the rising number of dead profiles and with people being more comfortable about posting about death, we invite others into our lives for the purpose of remembering someone we held dearly onto so that they might also be remembered and loved by others because ultimately it is nice to know that others care about someone that you cared about so much.

Feeling Remembrance in our society

You're sitting on your couch on a hot July afternoon, you get a notification from your device. "Look back to a year ago!" it says, you click on the notification for it to reveal a picture of you and your deceased grandfather that you posted in remembrance to his life, it's christmas and you're 6 years old and you simply remember him picking you up and hugging you with love and care. As your brain processes the image, you go through an array of emotions that ultimately leave you devastated.  You are suddenly filled with sadness from such a good memory, but why does one feel sadness from such a good memory? Although many believe that looking at the past serves as a good way to process past tribulations, many struggle to understand why these events occurred in the first place. 

Why do we post?

When posting snapshots that are intended to capture a memory, many believe that it's important to keep their social pages updated in order to create an identity. From the words of Steve Olshansky, when posting online you post pieces of information about you, ranging from publicly available to very private, and it is good to be aware of who is asking for it, why they want it, and how it is and will be used and protected. Its inherently important for people to "capture" the memory when overall happiness is felt, but many forget about the variables imbedded in the picture that can later make it sour (an ex boyfriend, a friend that stabbed you in the back), but sometimes this moment can be a huge event that although sad, needs to be remembered (a death in the family, fetus pictures are taken as well apparently). 

When someone looks at one of your photos, they are able to see something exactly the way you saw it which is a vital piece of information to keep in mind over this new wave of social media with platforms such as Instagram or Pinterest. Prior, snapshots were a more personal take that were meant to have special meaning for memories that were created by the family so they could later show close friends and relatives "hey, look at how happy we were during this time". In The Qualified Self by Lee Humphreys, "Even when photos became less formal and varied their settings in the twentieth century [...] the primary subject did not change much within snapshot photography". 

Nostalgia & Emotion

Researchers believe that Nostalgia has a strong positive effect on mental health, but can also sometimes give us dread rather than comfort. It was actually considered a mental issue when nostalgia caused anxiety, insomnia, and depression in a person. This remembrance can serve as a increase of perception of social support, but it can also be bittersweet if major changes in your life occurred (for the better or for the worst). In our current society, we are faced with the reality that we must document every single event in our lives to be able to recall that they ever happened at all. 

But for many, these memories can cause negative effects on the human mind. As Cory Stieg states, during difficult times, attention to our past can strengthen us by reminding us of how we survived challenges, loss, injury, failure, or misfortune in the past. But many can just be reminded of the trials and tribulations they went through and the negatives more than positive, but this is an example of how looking at back at snapshots can greatly affect our current state. While for many we are simply reminded of a time where we did not think of the future while we took the picture, but as time goes forward many changes occur in ones life, to which they look back and recall their emotional state at the time. 

 

What can we do? 

The best thing we can do is simply change how we think of these past situations (easier said than done), but one must accept that it's impossible to go back in time and change any of the events that occured. Many have a weird way to cope with major events that occured in their life, which in result ends in people's inability to face their demons, and instead bury it amongst files of pictures in social media to remind themselves that they once cared. This behavior can be seen as re-active rather than pro-active, since in the end many instead of trying to solve their issues with simple thought and understanding we tend to deny these problems exist at all. 

In conclusion, Social Media faces people with many reminders of their past that can greatly affect their mood due to its context. How one reacts completely depends on the media and the meaning behind the message, but their mental health can also play a major part in this equation. 

Remember Me: How photos influence generations

 Why do we save pictures? Maybe to relive the memories they hold, to meet a social pressure that's set upon us, or maybe to continue a tradition passed onto us by our family members. Regardless every generation since the invention of the camera has been infatuated with documenting our lives and preserving snapshots of our day-to-day adventures.

Robert Cornelius' Self-Portrait: The First Ever "Selfie" (1839)

In 1839, Philadelphia, PA, chemist and camera enthusiast Robert Cornelius too what is believed to be the first "selfie". He did so "by removing the lens cap and then running into frame where he sat for a minute before covering up the lens again. On the back of the image he wrote "The first light Picture ever taken. 1839." (The Public Domain Review) But one question is why would he take a picture of himself and not of the environment around him? Why even take the picture in the first place?

In our lecture with Dr. Vrooman we dove into this question. Why do we feel the need to document our lives with images? Before photographs we had written documentation of our daily household lives. Then we slowly moved into documenting our household lives through pictures and videos. But in class we barely coved the more morbid topic of unhappy photos.

It may seem understandable to the average person for why we want to keep some of our most happy moments documented, but what about the more depressing? In the book The Qualified Self: Social Media and the Accounting of  Everyday Life, it covered the tough topic of postmortem death. (p. 78) Humphreys covers the idea through different generations and compares the different stigmas about them. In the 19th century it was a common thing to have your deceased infant photographed as if they were sleeping, in order to preserve their life. But, in our current day and age, although some families would like to document this event, the general public may either wish for that to be a private family photo or they may with to mourn with that family.

So, to celebrate a life seems like a justifiable means to document lost loved ones, but what about war? Like Vrooman covered in class, we all have to go through our loved ones belongings to divvy up their photos and belongings amongst the family. Sometimes you may even stumble upon unexpected items.

As we were going through my grandmothers house this past July of 2020, me and my mom found a tiny box that was shoved into the back of her closet. In it we found tiny 4"-5" in. photos of my grandfather standing next to two dead men in the middle of a jungle, somewhere in the pacific islands during WWII. In the moment my mind said COOL!!!, but in thinking about it now, why would he keep these?

Why would he keep a memory that changed him so much? My mom told me he never picked up another gun, not even to hunt, when she was younger. So why keep such a graphic image that hurt him? the only answer I can come up with is to remember.

Just like how Humphreys talks about 9/11. (p. 86) Sometimes we share stories verbally, through text, or just through pictures to remember the significance behind them. For my grandpa is was to remember the pain war caused him and thousands of others around the world. For people who survived 9/11 its to remember loved ones lost, or to remember the feeling of national pride during our lowest point as a country.

Photos bring about remembrance to unite us in commonality. For my generation, we use photos and social media to connect with one another when we aren't allowed to socialize like we used to. 

So why did Robert Cornelius take that "selfie"? To share with generations to come the importance of that event and to connect with others who will follow in his footsteps.

Photos to Re{ME}mber

 Do you ever go anywhere and not see a camera in someones hand taking a picture or video? Within society it has become a norm to always see people or our selfs actively taking photos of something or someone, but why? Where do these photos go after we take them? How many is too much? In what ways will they be used again? 

When I think about myself and taking photos I also try to capture the present rather than living in it but then all those photos pile up and stay on my phone. Big accomplishments are posted on social media but not all the photos that were taken always make it, so where do the others go? They are lost or forgotten about and later get deleted after year and years of not saving or backing up my phone. I think that our generation has grown up in a way that we were always taught/told to take pictures to have the memory last and so that it could be passed on to other generations. Our own selfishness is shown through the amount of pictures that we post to have a better social status than others. Is one perfect picture enough or do you need 10 to show how good of a life you live and your vacation? I personally think that posting more and more photos is in competition with society and to show who is living a better life through their profiles and photos. If they are only used to post and not used for remembering the moment or passing the memory on of loved ones, then why are they being posted. 

I myself only post for the big accomplishments and to have the memories last all the other extra photos that are not needed or take up more time of not living in the present are gone to trash within a couple months they are lucky if they make it a year. 

The Importance of the Photograph?

 Hey Everyone,

In Society today we are taken over by this idea of capturing every moment we have and do in picture form. I don't think you can go anywhere in the world without their being at least someone in the room taking a picture of something, it almost feels like the way we communicate with each other now. Now the saying is true, "a picture says a thousand words" and we are the first hand response to that quote because everything we see and do must be photographed or video taped. We feel as though everyone should see what we are doing or where we are going through our pictures and this is the way to show people our lives. It's almost as though for proof or backup that what we are doing or where we are at is true in that we can show the people we care about or the people that follow you that, yes, I am at this nice place or doing all these fun things and you have to see it. But the question i've always had and thought about is, "does taking pictures of everything you go through or do take away from the moment itself"?

Now don't get me wrong, I think it is extremely important to take pictures of major events or things you know you want to go back and look at. But I feel that we have this sense of if we didn't get it on video or picture it never happened. I come from experience when I say some of the greatest moments I have made in my life have come without any pictures or "proof" of what I did. Going on crazy adventures with the boys or long parked car conversations with a girlfriend, even some family vacations and events there was no pictures taken and I could still tell you everything that happened even without a picture to prove it. I feel like what makes a memory special is when you are so invested in the moment that there is no need or time to stop and take a picture of whatever is going on, you are having so much fun and enjoying yourself that there is no need to stop what is happening for a picture because you know you'll remember it for the rest of your  life. We get so caught up in what social media means to us and how it effects our lives that we feel like we have to share it all with the world, we see that other people post everything they do and see that it almost feels like we have to do the same. Society has this norm set out for us that you have to share what you do and see with the rest of the world for it to matter, when in reality as long as you remember what you did and had fun doing it, who cares what anyone else has to say about it.

Going off that point a little too is why do people care so much about another persons picture of where they are or what they are doing. We talked about in class how people get annoyed when they see someone on vacation and posting pictures of everywhere they are going. Why? We have so much hate and constant criticism in our lives with whatever we do. I have never understood how or why you can hate on so someones success or lifestyle when you are in complete control of your own. If you don't like seeing someone taking pictures of their vacation, well then unfollow them or work hard so that you can one day be able to do the very same thing. The way I look at those things is seeing all the cool places people are at and going and helps me see where I might want to go or be when i'm older which then helps gives me motivation on what I wanna do and where I wanna go. It is all about how you look at things and the way you wanna see it. Social media has fogged our minds with this notion of pictures and how much they mean to us, but like we talked about in class what would happen if you lost all those pictures and never got them back. I bet you would take more time to be in that moment and soak in that memory you are having and enjoy it rather then trying to take a picture to remember it all.

I do think pictures are important and they do help capture amazing moments in our lives that can help us go back and realize the good times in our life. But I think we should really live in the moment and take a step back from the pictures and realize its better to be in the moment and live it then try and capture it and relive it later. Remember that everything you do only happens once and you cant go back when its over, which is why it is so crucial to stop with all the pictures and let your mind be the picture so you can enjoy everything you do in life. 

Are photographs important in social media?

 How do we examine what is a good post towards a bad post? Do you care about how many likes and followers you have on your social media? These are two questions that are very important when regarding social media in today's world. Many people now a days are posting on social media on a daily basis regarding every aspect of their lives, but do their followers really care about what they are posting. Here's an example, a famous person who has million and million of followers on his/her social media, do you really think they care what you have to say in the comments. Well, the truth is, they don't. These people who have millions of followers do not have a direct contact with over 99% of the people who follow them, they don't even know them. So, when this comes to having a social media platform, is it all that important or is it more important to worry about the hand on relationships you have with one another in your personal life. Today, we are going to examine just that. 

First, is social media all that good for your personal life? Well, there is two sides of the spectrum. One is it is good because you are "social media famous and everyone knows you." The other side is, "you care more about personal relationships within your life." Both sides, whichever your on, is fine to be, there is no harm done, but the first side says when your social media famous you have a bunch of friends and everyone loves you. That's not the case, there is haters everywhere with whatever platform you are on. These famous people who go "viral" for doing something crazy or being an athlete have no connections with almost all of their followers. This is the main problem with social media in my opinion, it creates a sense of social status and gives someone a platform when they really haven't done anything in their life. Social media gives people a place where they can go post their opinions on politics or anything they feel the need to do so, when they have no idea what they are talking about. The other side, is the people who really do not use social media on a daily basis or even do not use it at all. These are the people who make real connections by going out and meeting people in person. For example, when someone goes out to the bars or restraunts on a weekend, they go there to meet new people and have a good time. If your trying to meet new people and make real connections online, it is much harder to do. Now a days, it is hard to make these connections in person with this whole pandemic, but there is still lots of ways to do so. 

Next, does it matter how many followers you have and how many likes you get? No, it does not at all. But we are in a day in the age where this is all that matters. The more followers and likes you get, the more popular you are. This is really the world we are living in where social media is bigger than personal connections. How do we conn

Why do you have to pull it out?

    This week we looked at a couple things that I've noticed amongst my friends and generation that I  hadn't exactly realized until we talked about them. We talked on identity work, and remembrancing. We looked at remembrancing, which to me is a mixture of the two words remembering, and reminiscing. Remembering has to do with the account of the memory, when reminiscing is how you felt when thinking of that memory. When a group of people reminisce on their glory days, they are reminded on how they felt being on top (or at least on top in their perspective). Take a football team from the 80's who won the state championship for example. When they get together they are reminiscing over the memory of them being on top, running the school with everyone looking up to them. They remember the memory, but reminisce over the feeling that they might not have ever got to feel again.

    For me, I have never been one to pull my phone out. Do I wish I would have more? Maybe a little bit. But, there's a part in me that thinks that is not exactly healthy. How are you supposed to make memories and enjoy the moment you're in if you are living it through your camera? I can see why people like to pull it out though, because in times of boredom or sadness you always have those good memories to look back on that make life a little better. In chapters 3 & 4, we learned about something called media accounting. This is when you post things to your social media so you can look back on it when accounting for different memories. We must keep a balance for how much we account on our media. Why do you, or in anyone else in that matter care about the grilled cheese you made on October 2nd at 3:13 PM? It's for accounting. It's like a diary, but for everyone else to see. Maybe you made the grilled cheese with a friend who is no longer alive, and that "one year ago today" snapchat reminder helped you remember some more memories about that friend. Last night I had posted for the first time on my snapchat for a while. I went and got some Korean BBQ and wanted people to know, so I posted a quick three second video of me and my buddy cheering some Soju. This was media accounting because I can now look back at that three second video and remember how bad it tore my stomach up the next morning.  

    When it comes to identity work, we all play different roles on social media. When it is our best friends birthday, of course we are going to give them a shoutout or post a couple pictures. We do this because that is our role as a friend. Of course, we don't have to post pictures for every single person we knows' birthday, because in some friendships that is not our role. If we were best friends in elementary and haven't talked since middle school, I wouldn't expect you to post for me. It's not your role. Maybe a nice happy birthday text would suit. Another way we use identity work is through the selfie. If you want to establish a relationship you just developed, what's a better way than posting a selfie to show everyone your new friend? If you just met them five minutes ago then I wouldn't recommend posting a selfie because that is just plain weird. If it's a friend you have known for a little bit, a selfie is a good way to show off your friendship. I know people out there that get offended when they don't get posted on their friends socials. It validates some friendships, which is odd but it makes sense. If you have a friend who is always posting one of your other friends but not you, you're gonna feel a little left out. You might even feel like you are embarrassing to your friend, and them posting you may hurt their social status, or IDENTITY. 

    In conclusion, there a couple of reasons why we have to pull it out. We want to remember the memory, we want to reminisce on the memory, and the memory helps us with our identity. We do this with media accounting, which allows us to look back at any moment while in the future. Humans love to reminisce and remember the best parts of our lives. This is why we have holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. We all gather around the table to tell funny stories that we remember so we can think about the simpler times. The times when we weren't growing old. The times when we weren't moving away. The times when we weren't thinking of any of those things. Identity work and remembrancing help us cope with these things. We shouldn't get lost in our phones when making memories, and should try to live in the moment as much as possible. But, there is nothing wrong with pulling it out to save memories for later. Do as you wish, but keep a balance.