Ubiquitous Photography Digital Media and Society Series

Ubiquitous Photography provides a critical examination of the technologies, practices, and cultural significance of digital photography, placing the phenomenon in historical, social, and political-economic context. It examines shifts in image-making, storage, commodification, and interpretation as highly significant processes of digitally mediated communication in an increasingly image-rich culture. It covers debates in social and cultural theory, the history and politics of image-making and manipulation, the current explosion in amateur photography, tagging and sharing via social networking, and citizen journalism. The book engages with key contemporary theoretical issues about memory and mobility, authorship and authenticity, immediacy and preservation, and the increased visibility of ordinary social life.

Drawing upon a range of sources and original empirical research, Ubiquitous Photography provides a comprehensive introduction to critical academic debate and concrete developments in the field of digital photography. It is essential reading for students and scholars interested in media and society, visual culture, and digital technology.

Detailed Contents vi

List of Figures viii

Acknowledgements ix

1 Ubiquitous Photography: A Short Introduction 1

2 Visual Culture, Consumption and Technology 25

3 Images and Information: Variation, Manipulation and Ephemerality 59

4 Technologies and Techniques: Reconfiguring Camera, Photographer and Image 96

5 Memory and Classification: Between the Album and the Tag Cloud 143

6 Conclusion: Ubiquitous Photography and Public Culture 185

References and Bibliography 198

Index 215