Abstract
Mobile phone photography, as a product of technological advancement, has significantly transformed how individuals engage with and perceive photography. Over the past two decades, the accessibility and affordability of mobile phones have established them as the primary medium for photography, enabling people from diverse backgrounds to engage in photography anytime and anywhere. This study brings forward the hypothesis that mobile phone photography simultaneously extends and restricts practitioners’ sensory experiences and creativity, shaping how individuals perceive and capture moments of beauty in everyday life. This study mainly draws on the seminal media theories of Marshall McLuhan (1964) and Vilém Flusser (1983) to examine a wide range of implications of mobile phone photography. McLuhan argued that any medium is an extension of ourselves: in this context, mobile phone photography is explored as a technological extension of human perception, expression, and ideas. In contrast, Flusser critiques the “programmed nature” of photographic technologies: through his conceptualisation of the notions of “apparatus” and “technical images”, he states that photography apparatuses are structures that guide but also limit human creativity. The study outlines how these theoretical frameworks inform my research design and offers preliminary findings based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with participants from China’s diverse cultural and educational backgrounds.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
MOBILE PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY, MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES, EXTENSION OF MAN, TECHNICAL APPARATUSES
