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In London, England - Can Social Media and Democratisation of Photography Affect Identity?
July 23, 2015

While attending the Arts in Society Conference at Imperial College in London, England, 22-24 July 2015, I present my paper; Can Social Media and Democratization of Photography Affect Identity?  It looks at how we are immersing ourselves into the social media, presenting our own version of ourselves to friends, family, and the world. Our actual identity is becoming an identity that we create of ourselves. I explored that idea in my performance art project If the photo is good… in 2013 and 2014, in which I interacted with tourists at four famous Canadian photogenic locations. My paper uses that performance piece as an example of how the dissemination of digital images is transforming our sense of identity.

A review of relevant literature shows how the Internet and social media can lead to a place where the virtual is more real than reality. Although I point to the negative consequences of this new digital age, I do believe that the Internet and the social media can evolve for the long term benefit of humanity.