Photos for Engagement and Validation

Alexa Abrenilla

Professor R. Munch

English 102-022

10 November 2016

Photos for Engagement and Validation

In Jacob Silverman’s book titled Terms of service contains a chapter called “Pics or It Didn’t Happen” that analyzes the purpose to why people post photos to social media. In this century social media has been on the rise and many people are contributing to its growth, but why do they? Silverman says, “Show us what you did, so that we may believe and validate it”(48). This paper will argue that posting pictures gives people a sense of visibility and a need to  always be engaged.

        Facebook is one of the most popular and steady growing social media site today. Facebook allows you to communicate with friends and family. On this site you are able to not only post text, but to also display photographs. The photographs can be collectively stored in a album so that many people can view and comment on them. Back in the day people would do the same thing, but not electronically. The photo prints would be placed in photo albums and journals as a documentation of their experiences then later showing them in a small or large family gathering for conversations. There are many people that have strayed from the traditional ways and have been engaging in the social media trend. “They offer an opportunity to share and be embraced by the social cocoon” (Silverman 46).

 Facebook allows one to broadcast their whole lives on to the net from accomplishments, to family gatherings, to even the delicious meal they had that day. Most photos one may post often may have no value nor do they inform others they are just posts without reason or just for your own personal reason. “They are the inner monologue, emptied for consumption” (Silverman 46). By “consumption” he refers that in most social media platforms you are given the chance to communicate your feelings toward a photo post through a “like” or “comment”. Many appeal to this feature so that they may give feedback in hopes to receive one too. “They receive comments or likes out of kindness, out of a desire of future reciprocity, or simply out of Pavlovian reaction.”(Silverman 46). When photos receive multiple endearing comments and likes, one may think they are getting approval and will feel a sense of accomplishment. Multiple people are constantly posting always making the previous post obsolete, so when receiving a “like” or “comment” you have not become obsolete. You have become the center attention for that time being. Because of this, the sense of accomplishment it will make one think their existence is being noticed or recognized by their social media mates. “Each one of us wants to seek attention of others” (Kumar). When getting attention it not only gives us satisfaction, but it show people do care.Although one might not know if the interaction was genuine or not, the person took their time, although not long, to communicate their feeling or emotion.