SOCIAL MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHY :
AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON FACEBOOK
USERS’ PHOTOGRAPHIC PRACTICES IN
TURKEY
Gülüm Şener Ulagay*, Yelda Özkoçak**
*Istanbul Arel University, Department of Public Relations and Advertising, Istanbul, Turkey
** Istanbul Arel University, Department of Radio, Cinema and TV, Istanbul, Turkey
SOCIAL MEDIA
PHOTOGRAPHY
How does social media change
photographic practices? How do social
functions of photography change in
PHOTO-SHARING CULTURE
• The individualization of photographic practice and content • The amateurism of the photographer
• Photos as proof of everyday life, sharing everyday life images • The publication of private images
• The use of photos for self-image management • The need for being recognized by other users
• Establishing or reestablishing social bonds with friends on social networking sites
• Creating a visual and a semi-public archive of decisive moments. • In sum, the evolution of the use of photography as movements ‘from
family to individual use, from memory tools to communication
devices and from sharing (memory) objects to sharing experiences’. (Jose Van Dijk (2008:60, cited by Pink, 2011: 95)
FACEBOOK PHOTOS
• Facebook is the leading social
networking site in Turkey with more
than 30 million users.
• Facebook is one of the world’s largest
photo-sharing websites; users upload
250 million pictures everyday.
• As a friend community, Facebook
create new ethos of photo-sharing
practices.
METHODOLOGY
• Three-fold methodology:
• Online survey (June-July 2011)
• In-depth interviews
• Visual analysis of Facebook profile photos.
• Two research questions
• 1- What kind of photos do Facebook users
share? What kind of photos do they prefer
not to share?
• 2- What strategies do users follow to create
ONLINE SURVEY
• An online questionnaire (June-July 2011 and
filled out by 707 respondents (694 were taken
into consideration).
• The questionnaire consisted of six sections:
• (1) demographic items
• (2) users’ Facebook experience
• (3) photographic practices
• (4) conversation around photos
• (5) profile photo information
• (6) users’ perception regarding their
USERS PROFILE
A)13-17 B) 18-24 C) 25-30 D) 31-44 E) 45-59 F) 60+TAKING PICTURES
How often do you take picture?
A)Several times a day B) Everyday C) Every few days D)Once a week E) Monthly F) Other
Do you think your photo can be uploaded onto Facebook while posing for photographs?
SHARING PHOTOS IN
How often do you upload pictures onto Facebook?
A)Several times a day B) Everyday C) Every few days D)Once a week E) Monthly F) Other
