In a world saturated with images, recording remains the prime function of photography. Recording is informing, thus recording is news. The opposite of it, transforming, is creating new values, thus creating is art. There is adapting in between, which is marketing, i.e. commercial. News photography couples with the referential (informative) function, art photography with the poetic one, commercial with the conative (appellative).
Photography as ubiquity means immense growth of the referential function, which in form of an interpersonal snowball makes people socialise and create networks. The context of our lives becomes public, opening the doors for mass marketing. In advertising, applying its appellative function, photography affects our lives and, to meet the needs of the seller, adapts reality. Referential, too, is getting appellative, resulting in reliability decay. This is coupled with creativity plunder. Art photography in part goes public, in part gives up poetic for referential. Boundaries overlap, the wheel of functions is turning. Is it a shift or is it decay?
Table of Contents
1. The Functions
1.1 The Function Wheel
1.2 A Carrier or A Mass Medium
1.3 The Supply Side
1.4 The Demand Side
1.5 Interpersonal Snowball – The Social Dimension
1.6 The Advertising Cake – The Commercial Dimension
1.7 The Impact – Trend & Opinion Forging
1.8 Decay of Reliability
1.9 Creativity Plunder
1.10 Art Photography
1.11 Matter-of-elusion
Objectives and Core Topics
This work examines the evolution of photography's role in modern mass communication, questioning whether the medium is undergoing a structural shift or experiencing a qualitative decay. The author investigates how the traditional functions of photography—recording, transforming, and adapting—are increasingly blurred by commercial interests and digital ubiquity, leading to issues such as reliability erosion and the commercialization of art.
- The theoretical function wheel of photography (referential, poetic, conative, and emotive functions).
- The impact of digital technology on the "supply side" and "demand side" of photographic imagery.
- Social consequences of mass-produced images, referred to as the "interpersonal snowball."
- Economic shifts in media and advertising and their reliance on photography.
- The complex intersection of art photography with commercial and mass-market demands.
Excerpt from the Book
Decay of Reliability
Intended to record the reality, to transmit the records thereof and to inform, photography - once equipped with adequate technical devices - made it possible to adapt, to adjust and to modify the reality it was there to record or - if to talk about extremes - to create a new reality instead. A number of factors can be made responsible for that, mostly the downfall of the printed press and the decline of traditional, serious journalism. If what sells is sex, violence and gossip, the order of appearance irrelevant, then that exactly will be what is sought for, not reliability, serious reporting or solid background research. As indicated before - given the adequate technical devices in form of picture processing software, the doors to information freedom are open. Information becomes now a word made of rubber and photography becomes an accomplice - who cares any more, whether the photo is true? The point is it should sell: sell itself and sell the message it is supposed to carry. Referential is getting appellative - rearranged and processed, the information content makes place for adapting, for marketing. It is the marketing targets and sales sheets that become the master for photography, not any objectivity or truth (whatever it might mean at all). The objective result of such a content fraud is the massive decay of reliability - one could never believe the tabloids, ok, but today not even pictures in „The Times” (or the like) are free from suspicion regarding their origin and content. As said earlier, information has become a word made of rubber and photography has become an accomplice in it - paparazzi being the extreme on the bad end of it.
Summary of Chapters
The Functions: Defines the three core functions of photography—recording (news), transforming (art), and adapting (marketing)—as the foundation for analyzing its societal role.
The Function Wheel: Introduces a theoretical model that visualizes the interrelations between these functions, mapping them to specific areas of activity.
A Carrier or A Mass Medium: Explores why photography, despite its ubiquity, is often not fully recognized as an independent mass medium.
The Supply Side: Analyzes how digital technology has revolutionized the production and dissemination of photographs, making every individual a potential "supplier."
The Demand Side: Discusses the impact of image abundance on the professional photography market and the resulting disruption of traditional economic structures.
Interpersonal Snowball – The Social Dimension: Examines how the mass sharing of images facilitates social networking and contributes to the publicization of private life.
The Advertising Cake – The Commercial Dimension: Details the transition of advertising expenditure from traditional print to web-based platforms, changing photography’s commercial utility.
The Impact – Trend & Opinion Forging: Investigates the power of photography to shape social behaviors and public opinion, using historical examples like fashion photography and photojournalism.
Decay of Reliability: Addresses how the pursuit of commercial success leads to manipulated imagery and the erosion of photography's truth-telling capacity.
Creativity Plunder: Describes how copyright is diluted in the digital era, reducing photographers from creators to craftsmen in a sea of anonymous content.
Art Photography: Explores how art photography is increasingly integrated into the commercial market, challenging its traditional poetic purpose.
Matter-of-elusion: Concludes by summarizing how the blurring of functions and the rise of commercial pressures have turned objective representation into an elusive phenomenon.
Key Words
Photography, mass communication, language, functions, advertising, marketing, social, commercial, referential, poetic, conative, digital technology, reliability, copyright, creativity plunder.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this publication?
The work explores the changing role of photography in the context of mass communication, focusing on how technical and social developments have blurred the lines between different functional uses of the image.
What are the primary themes discussed in the book?
The main themes include the functional classification of photography (referential, poetic, conative), the impact of digital media, the commercialization of images, and the resulting erosion of authenticity and authorship.
What is the primary goal of the research?
The author aims to investigate whether the observed transformations in contemporary photography represent a positive shift in its medium-potential or a decay in its fundamental ability to record and inform.
Which scientific method is utilized in this work?
The author utilizes a qualitative analytical approach based on Roman Jakobson's language functions, applying this framework to the field of visual communication to categorize and evaluate photographic practices.
What is covered in the main section of the book?
The main section details the "function wheel," the shift in supply and demand for images, the rise of web-based advertising, social dimension effects, and critical issues like the loss of reliability and copyright challenges.
Which keywords define this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as photography, mass communication, commercialization, referential function, reliability decay, creativity plunder, and digital dissemination.
How does the author define the "interpersonal snowball"?
The "interpersonal snowball" refers to the phenomenon of mass-posting and the social sharing of images, which continuously expands the public nature of private life and alters boundaries of intimacy.
What is meant by the term "matter-of-elusion"?
This term serves as a critical reflection on how what was once perceived as "matter-of-fact" information in photography has become an elusive concept, prone to manipulation and commercial distortion.
Why is the "referential function" increasingly under pressure?
The referential function is under pressure because market demands prioritize persuasive and commercial outcomes over objective, factual reporting, leading to the use of images as mere tools for sales.
Is there a conclusion to the question of "shift or decay"?
The author concludes that the traditional understanding of photography is undergoing a significant transformation where artistic and informational values are being subordinated to commercial marketing, leaving the reader to decide if this is a shift or a decay.
- Quote paper
- Michal Bukowski (Author), 2010, Photography in Mass Communication - a Shift or Decay?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/354623
