Photographic image representation — User perceptions

This study seeks to assess the impact of photography and social networks, checking how the photographs online are perceived by users of social networks. With the growing use of digital devices with internet access alongside with the democratization of photography, in digital format, it has been noticed an increase in the amount of photographs available online through social networks where the common citizen becomes the creator of the message that was once in exclusive domain of traditional Media, using a visual and comprehensive language. Photography is a unique representation of reality conditioned by the moment and context in which it is produced and then presented. The theoretical framework addresses social networks as online communication concept and how it transforms social structures through the interaction between users. In the context of empirical research was applied a questionnaire asking 322 users of social networks in general. It check that users perceive the photographs with some frequency, enjoying and commenting on them, particularly when they involve the presence of close people (friends and family). In contrast, with regard to archiving and sharing of online photo, family members are less valued, it is more privileged associations with objects and landscapes. The use of social networks to see/perceive photography is motivated the direct functionality of these networks - facilitating, e.g., the mark of a like or comment - and the presence of people.