THE APPROPRIATION OF CONTENT THROUGH NETWORKED IMAGERY

Due to it being recognised as the primary platform of discussion for Networked Media this semester, Instagram will hence become my primary focus for my week one blog. As a lover of this social media application, I was happy to discover we would be studying Instagram in detail during the course. Throughout the last decade, I have seen this app thrive and grow. More friends have created new Instagram accounts than Facebook accounts.

In fact, I created an Instagram account before I even wished to create a Facebook account!

I was excited by the aesthetics that could be created through Instagram; how photos told the story about a person rather than just words. However, as platforms such as Twitter and Tumblr become popular, I began to realise how visual content can be appropriated through it’s networking. As stated in Sabine Niederer’s text ‘Networked Images:visual methodologies for the digital age,’ “online images become ‘networked’ when users like, share, comment or tag them, and also when platforms and engines format, filter, feed and recommend them to others” (Niederer, 2018). Through this networking system, millions of viewers are able to take such content from any platform and use it for personal gain. For example, the rise in meme accounts on Instagram has led to the discussion of these users “stealing” content from Twitter and Reddit, without crediting the original owner or author of the content.

Upon researching a bit more into this, I came across an Instagram account which I do in fact follow myself, called “FuckJerry.”

Image: https://www.fastcompany.com/90300900/comedians-fight-back-against-wildly-popular-joke-stealing-instagram-account

User @FuckJerry has recently become under fire for stealing content from comedians off other platforms, and profiting off of it through the likes of advertising.

This account is not alone. Thousands of meme/comedy accounts on Instagram are doing the exact same thing. As Niederer discusses further in the reading, the existence of mass production of imagery on social media platforms is due to the act of appropriation; “Studying
the ways in which such publics repurpose existing images (e.g., by turning them
into memes or creatively appropriating them by using filters and other visual
and textual elements), provides new insights into the dynamic user cultures of a
particular platform,” (Niederer, 2018). Yet, users aren’t simply turning what they find into memes. They are without remorse stealing content for personal growth in profit and followers (FuckJerry currently has 14M followers, 300k less than when the Fast Company article was written a month ago.)

This is an interesting issue which I would enjoy delving deeper into as I learn more about Instagram and how it work’s within this networked media culture.

Image: https://www.fastcompany.com/90300900/comedians-fight-back-against-wildly-popular-joke-stealing-instagram-account

READING: Niederer, S 2018, Networked images: visual methodologies for the digital age. Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam. (read pp.1-20)

PEOPLE WATCHING, MELBOURNE. – EMILY CONLIN

The art of people watching. It is something we all do, whether it is in a busy café while you wait for your morning coffee or maybe it is at the library as you feel yourself fall deeper into procrastination. I had this in mind as I took this photo of Jonah, modelling perfectly in RMIT’s main library.

Melbourne is perfect for people watching as there are people almost everywhere, especially around RMIT where these photographs were taken. Taking turns with my two group members, Jonah and Ziggy, we ventured out with a single camera and began to capture these people caught up in their own lives. Now, taking perfect photos isn’t an easy task, especially when your subject is a stranger out the front of the State Library.

All three of us looked at each other nervously. Who was to take the photo of this well dressed man holding a bible? Who was going to ask him for his permission? It was Ziggy who took the reigns and captured the polite man who was nothing less than a delight. When finding people willing to snap proved its challenges, we enjoyed showcasing the beautiful architecture found within RMIT’s city campus. The windows found on these buildings in particular created a template for how we could capture the busy university student on their way too or from class on that busy Tuesday afternoon. Seen as almost a silhouette within the walls of Building 10, the subject watched us as he walked past, and disappeared as quickly as he appeared. He too, was people watching.

As i mentioned in the previous post about what I wanted to get out of the studio, I am currently also partaking in the course “True Lies: Documentary Studies.” I believe this class and the documentary we had to watch this week is a perfect option for this post as it reflects on non-fiction content and the art of documentaries.

Forbidden Lie$ is an Australian documentary which tells the story of Norma Khouri who published a “non fiction” book called Forbidden Love in 2003, only for it to be based on lies rather than the truth. Claiming to live in Jordan, Norma centres her book on the honour killing of her best friend “Dalia,” who was killed in the hands of her father for loving a man of another religion. Dalia was killed in order to cleanse the family name and hence, Norma wanted to avenge her death by getting justice and changing the laws that allow for these acts to take place.

However, that is what Norma wants YOU to believe. This documentary uncovers the lies and deception that Norma created in order to create personal gain. I won’t give everything away, however, it becomes very easily for you to soon tell what is truth and what is false when it comes to Norma. Like Elmyr from “F for Fake,” Norma is displayed as a con-artist with sociopathic tendencies. However, unlike Elmyr who admitted to committing fraud, Norma only admitted to small parts of the lies she created, and when she did, she made sure she could justify why she did it in order for people to sympathise with her. Norma displayed no remorse for what resulted from her actions, but rather only cared for herself and her image in the end.

This documentary takes on a very traditional documentary form, using interviews, re-enactments and following a ‘chronological order of events’ structure. What was interesting was the use of incorporating Anna Broinowski, the director, into the second half of the film as she appears on screen rather than off. However, unlike in F for Fake where Olson is a main subject and uses on-screen narration, Anna is shown just interviewing Norma, specifically in their time in Jordan when she becomes frustrated with the continues lies generated by the main “character” in her documentary. In many occasions, you can see the reality of the director becoming annoyed with the little progression that is occurring because of set backs. In this case, the set back was Norma, who was leading them on a trial of deception without letting them know until AFTER her actions had consequences. I believe showing this frustration was a great element in regard to showing the real effects Norma’s lies had on the people around on her. In terms of creating non-fictional content, this was perfect for adding to the authenticity.

This documentary also has a controversial and abrupt ending which for many viewers seemed not needed. Norma, at the end of the entire ordeal, told Anna and her audience that she had been sexually abused by her father as a child. This is confusing as earlier in the film, her father was interviewed alongside Norma in their journey through Jordan and seemed to have a good relationship with his daughter. It is here where the film ends, and text tells the audience watching that this was proven to be false. In fact, Anna in an interview after the creation of this documentary, revealed that she didn’t believe Norma’s father was even her true dad, as she was so good at lying.

Forbidden Lie$ was not only interesting to watch, but a great example of non-fictional content I can consider while working within my studio, Real to Reel.

Where do I begin with this film?

F for Fake truely confused but intrigued me throughout its entire duration. To define this film as non-fiction (for the first hour at least) is non-debatable, yet to try and define exactly HOW it displays itself as non-fictional is difficult. The film uses interviews with the true people who they discuss, hence, becoming like a documentary. Yet, it also incorporates the director as a significant part of the film. His narration dictates the direction of where the film proceeds to go. It continues to go from non-fiction to fiction through these techniques.

The film’s main purpose and contention was to uncover “fakes”; specifically con artists who create counterfeit paintings in order to grow personal gain. While the film goes on to speak about not just Elmyr de Hory but other subjects such as Clifford Irving and Oja Kodar, every new story is always linked back to Elmyr and his deception.

In terms of other film techniques, I was surprised by the choppiness in the editing, especially at the beginning of the movie. The fast cuts, the quick zooms and almost random stills or pauses of the shot were unique aspects which I believe were used to add to the authenticity the film wished to create.

I, however, don’t quite understand the portrayal of Oja and why it was so dramatic at times. I can see why the film chose to strongly sexualise her as she was their only female subject and they needed to show how men perceived women back in the 70’s and link that to their fictional story of Picasso. Yet it almost become uncomfortable to watch her be displayed in such a distasteful manner. The montage of men looking at her lasted for way too long, however, maybe this was the intention? Maybe Orson Welles, one of the directors, felt that it had to be uncomfortable in order to showcase how Oja herself may be feeling. Yet, I find myself believing this may not be the case as this movie was created in the 70’s, not in our recent decade.

From reflecting upon the studio prompt and the intention behind “Real to Reel,” I believe this course will encourage and motivate myself as a media student to learn about non-fictional content and what it truely means to create something based on truth. As a lover of documentaries and exploring factual ideas and stories, I am yet to dabble in creating something based on this interest. My favourite form of documentary series is based on true-crime. I’m not sure if this says anything about me, but yes I love learning about serial killers and what motivates them to commit such unlawful acts of violence.

In terms of my goals for this semester in this studio, I really hope not just to improve on my practical skills (which are a bit rusty since being on a three month break) but try photojournalism. I once wanted to be a photojournalist during high school as one of my biggest inspirations is social media photojournalist Sjana Elise. I wanted to travel the world and take photos of what I saw, and reflect on the stories behind them, just as she did and continues to do. However, the reality of becoming successful through such a practice was too slim for me to feel comfortable pursing it. Hence, when I saw we would be touching on photojournalism and photographic essays, the younger version of myself squealed in delight. At least this way, I can see if I enjoy being behind a camera as I already know that I love to write and reflect.

I am also in this semester taking the course “True Lies: Documentary Studies.” From the first week I can already see the connections between these two classes, and it will be interesting to see how I can take knowledge from that class and put it towards my practice in this one.