Can Photographs Change the World?

It is hard to imagine that a large amount of social change can occur from viewing a single image. Photojournalistic images can emotionally move a person, but I do not think that it can bring about immediate change. I think that the main goal for photojournalists is to raise awareness through his or her photographs. Once a person views the photograph, he or she has to make a decision whether or not to act on the feelings that occur when viewing the image. A photograph taken by Kevin Carter of a famished Sudanese child being stalked by a vulture brought awareness to the famine. After viewing the image, I felt sad because I had no idea of the harsh conditions that these people were forced to live in. I was blind to how fortunate I am. Although this picture left an emotional impact on me and the majority of people that viewed it, I don't think that it brought about immediate social change. After viewing the picture, a person did not instantly think of solutions for the problems in Sudan, but thought about how fortunate they are that they do not have to go through what the Sudanese people are going through. Jonathan Klein of Getty Images supports my opinion on photographs changing the world when he says, “images have provoked reactions in people and those reactions have caused change to happen”. It is easy to look at an image and become overwhelmed with emotion and want to help. However, it is hard to actually put words into action. Photographs themselves cannot create change. It is the responsibility of the viewer to make change happen. The photograph of the Sudanese child did not change the world. It had an impact on people, but the image itself did not change the world.

Photo by Kevin Carter

Image Source: https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/vulture-stalking-a-child/

Images can have an emotional impact on a person. An image that has affected me personally is the image of a marathon runner, Bill Iffrig, falling as a bomb exploded at the Boston Marathon. Three Boston police officers are behind the fallen marathon runner. This image gives me the chills. The background of the photograph displays smoke and chaos. There are people running around frantically. The Boston police officers seem calm in comparison to the scene around them. I think that this image truly displays the courage and compassion of police officers in the face of chaos. The marathon runner on the ground symbolizes the fragility of humans and that we are not invincible. Another part of this image that stands out to me is the flags in the background. There were flags from many different countries that were waving while the tragedy was occurring. The flags exemplify unity during hard times. This photograph has affected me personally for two reasons. First, I am from Massachusetts. The bombing felt like a direct attack. Other acts of terrorism that happen across the United States do not feel as personal because they happen in someone else's backyard. Another reason this photograph affected me personally is because my best friend, Emily, was at the Boston Marathon during the time of the attack. The day of the attack I was at the mall and received a text from my best friend saying “there was just a bomb at the marathon, we are running”. At this point, I was extremely scared and tried to call my best friend to make sure that she was okay. After about 20 minutes, Emily texted me and told me everything that was going on. She was directly where the bomb was 5 minutes before it went off. She walked away from the area to grab something to eat with her friends. It was a very scary moment and I did not know what to do in that situation. I am very thankful that nothing happened to her. This photograph personally impacted me because someone I know was involved and I feel like I was connected with the event.

Photo by John Tlumacki

Image Source: https://nppa.org/news/john-tlumacki-sean-proctor-win-nppas-photojournalists-year

If a photograph is able to emotionally impact a person and potentially bring about social change, I do not think that the government should be able to censor images. As Americans, we have freedom of speech, which allows us to share our ideas with others, even if it is not a popular opinion. In an article posted on the Aljazeera website, the author critiques the government and US media for the censorship of war images and claims that the images are, “sanitised to the point that a well-informed news consumer could be excused for thinking that their country's latest wars are virtually bloodless”. Most Americans are unaware of the severity of the war and the consequences of the wars that we fight in. Americans do not see the ugly side of war. However, in earlier wars such as the Vietnam War, images were available for the public. These photographs were graphic and gruesome. One of the most famous photographs during the Vietnam War was of a Viet Cong man being shot in the head by the South Vietnam Chief of Police. The photograph was taken by Eddie Adams and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1969. The photographs from the Vietnam War were not hidden from the public. Most people cannot place themselves in war, but the photographs help citizens gain an understanding of the situation. Photographs do not lie. They allow a person to form his or her own opinion. American citizens should be allowed to see the brutality and reality of war.

Photo by Eddie Adams

Image Source: http://www.executedtoday.com/2009/02/01/1968-nguyen-van-lem/

Another topic regarding censorship and control of information is citizen journalism. If a photograph can make an impact, it should not be hidden from the public. There has been an increase of large corporations buying out independently owned businesses. These large corporations can censor any material that they do not want to be published. In an article on Business Insider, the author states that six corporations control 90% of the media, which gives people an illusion of choice. All of the information is being censored and controlled by the same companies. As Professor Nordell stated in his video, the larger companies buying out the smaller companies and that can, "constrict the flow of information that the large corporations may not want certain items covered in their newspapers or on their television stations". This gives people an illusion that the information they receive is the full story, when in fact it is not what is truly happening. However, citizen journalists have increased and these people attempt to share the truth that large corporations fail to mention. Citizen journalists are extremely important. These people bring the other side of the story to the public. After the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, there was an increase in citizen journalists. There were a lot of rumors flying around social media websites and by word of mouth. However, the images and videos captured by citizen journalists gave insight to what was really happening in Ferguson, Missouri. I think that images can truly impact a person, but these images cannot be censored. The public needs to see exactly what is happening no matter how harsh the photograph is. Citizen journalists allow the power to be evened out between large companies and the citizens.