Abstract
By studying the cultural and aesthetic impact of increasingly pervasive digital technologies and mass amateurization, this paper examines the ramifications of the networked information economy on professional photographic practice and considers the concomitant implications for the photographic classroom. Using the framework of convergence culture as per the writings of Yochai Benkler, Henry Jenkins, Mark Deuze, and Axel Bruns, the impact of accessible and instantaneous image creation and dispersal are explored. Given the rise of consumer engagement in brand co-creation on social media platforms, we can observe massive changes to professional practice in areas such as aesthetics, and the erosion of previous sustainable business models. Indeed, as traditional notions of “expertise” shift from technological prowess to narrative and disseminative abilities, the effects on commercial practice and photographic education need to be addressed. This paper argues that there are three emerging priorities for commercial image use: narrative ability, authenticity, and subjectivity and suggests initial steps in their pedagogical application. By acknowledging these transformations, this paper explores the idea that students need to harness technique, social media influence, adaptability, subjectivity, and storytelling power in order to better serve emerging image-based needs in commercial spaces.
Highlights
In the summer of 2010, Domino’s Pizza launched an advertising campaign called Show Us Your Pizza in which they pledged to forego the traditional tools and tricks of commercial food photography and would instead “shoot their pizzas just the way they come out of the oven” (Lincoln, 2013)
For Domino’s, Show Us Your Pizza heralded the beginning of what would be a continued commitment to consumer engagement through a number of marketing channels and has resulted in consistent growth for the brand; increasing their market share most
As a result of the technical, aesthetic, and disseminative abilities of the networked information economy expressed in the bundling of the camera phone, social media, and the internet, we find a systematic erosion of traditional sustainable photographic practice
Summary
In the summer of 2010, Domino’s Pizza launched an advertising campaign called Show Us Your Pizza in which they pledged to forego the traditional tools and tricks of commercial food photography and would instead “shoot their pizzas just the way they come out of the oven” (Lincoln, 2013). In order to engage the consumer in this rebranding strategy, Domino’s encouraged customers to photograph their own pizza exactly as it arrived at their door and upload the photos to a dedicated URL These images populated a curated, but not manipulated, website of user generated pizza pictures. Though the theorists I reference are preoccupied with a variety of content creation (from citizen journalism to Wikipedia to Flickr and gaming), their prosumption critiques can be applied singularly to the sphere of commercial media
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