Identity, Society and Culture

Ones position in the world has a great affect on their views regarding identity, society and culture. It is true that some photographers, only see one side of a story, and therefore capture the story from one view. This is also true with people who aren’t photographers. Everyday human beings respond to issues surrounding identity, society and culture very differently based on their position in the world. Someone from a wealthy town in the United States is not going to identify well with images such as certain photos revealed in Figure 14.10 of people suffering after being victims of the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. This is because of their position in the world. It affects ones ability to relate to different societies and cultures. It is easy for the school children in Figure 14.10 to hold up this sign with the suffering images because they don’t relate to them. It is easy for the school children to smile in the picture because it is not affecting them. Their position in the world greatly affects how they feel about society.

            Images have a powerful way of making one feel a certain way about identity, society and culture. Capturing suffering in a photograph provides pathos to the image and compassion to the viewer. Such images can make someone feel a certain way about the depicted society and culture. Pictures convey judgment, and part of that judgment comes from the viewers’ position in the world. The public is communicated certain things based on a photographer or reporter’s position in the world. The public also perceives the message a certain way based on his or her individual position in the world and whether or not they can relate to the message. Ones position in the world strongly shapes the way he or she might feel about identity, society and culture, and their depictions in images.