Can Photographs Change the World?

1A)                       



Photo by Andrew Medichini

This photo has an impact on me because it shows how a video or an image on social media can bring awareness in the United States but also in many different countries. This image was taken in Europe after a video surfaced on social media about police brutality and how it caused a young man to lose his life. George Floyd was an innocent man who was killed at the hands of a cop. The awareness that the video along with the images shared on social media created a chain effect to protest against police brutality. Dan Gillmor in Ferguson's Citizen Journalist Revealed the Value of an Undeniable Video, " Law enforcement today too often violates the civil liberties of those they are sworn to protect." I chose this picture because to me this picture doesn't just show black African Americans protesting for our rights but it shows people of all races coming together. The power this image has is undeniable when you think of how an image on social media can bring out emotions to the point where a movement is created. 

In this video, Do Photographs Change the World, Professor Nordell said "If a tree falls down in the woods and there's no photojournalist to take a picture of it, did the event happen?" Although it wasn't a photojournalist who took the picture but a normal citizen who saw injustice it clearly shows how images and photojournalism can have an effect on us to look at something and decide it is time for a change. I personally believe that because we can have cameras now and have the ability to record and take images the issues that were hidden back then can now come out to light and we as a society can help make a change. for example, If there was no camera at that moment would this have been another event that was covered up? photographs and videos have shown us time and time again how even though change won't happen overnight photographs can bring awareness which can help create changes.  

1B) 
Photo by Robert Clark

I chose this image of the tragic event that happened on 9/11 that changed many lives. This image captured a moment in our Country that impacted the entire world. This event as many will say made the world stop for a brief moment. I remember the fear of the adults knowing that we were under attack. although there are a million images on the web about this horrible attack. This image here shows moments before the next attack which makes us sit there and wonder, how could this have been avoided? In this video, Photos that Changed the World Jonathan Klein says "Images have provoked reactions in people and those reactions have caused change to happen." This image shows just that, it shows how in the mix of it all the ones that suffer are the innocent. I believe these images shed light on America and helped us better prepare for any other attacks. Another reason why I believe that this image changed the world was because it united us as Americans despite our differences.  If it wasn't for the image along with the many that were photographed that day many would not have understood the depth of pain America felt that day. 

The question I ask myself is if these images change the world or have a strong impact as we have seen before. Why does the government and military censor what is shown on the media?  Ted Rall in the article, Censorship of war casualties in the U.S  "consumers saw thousands of images of dead and dying combatants, both American and Vietnamese, 40 years ago. Most were supplied by war photographers embedded with US troop units. But today’s “embeds” are required to submit their work to military censors for approval and transmission." I believe that because certain images are too much for us to see they find ways to try and keep away from the media due to the pain and emotions that it will bring. I believe that this supports the statement on can photographs change the world. Sometimes the only way change comes is if people are able to see the truth behind the wars and the damaged its causing. I believe that censoring can be good for many reasons but also it can hide the truth. 

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