Hunters and Gatherers of Pictures: Why Photography Has Become a Human Universal

Abstract

Photography is ubiquitous worldwide. We analyzed why people take, share, and use personal photographs, independent of their specific cultural background. These behaviors are still poorly understood. Experimental research on them is scarce. Smartphone technology and social media have pushed the success of photography, but cannot explain it, as not all smartphone features are widely used just because they are available. We analyzed properties of human nature that have made taking and using photographs functional behaviors. We did this based on the four levels, which Nikolaas Tinbergen suggested for analyzing why animals behave in a particular way. Including findings from multiple disciplines, we developed a novel conceptual framework—the “Mental Utilization Hypothesis of Photography.” It suggests that people adopt photography because it matches with core human mental mechanisms mainly from the social domain, and people use photography as a cognitive, primarily social coping strategy. Our framework comprises a range of testable predictions, provides a new theoretical basis for future empirical investigations into photography, and has practical implications. We conclude that photography has become a human universal, which is based on context-sensitive mental predispositions and differentiates itself in the social and societal environment.

Picturing Your Life: The Role of Imagery Perspective in Personal Photos

“…Thus, a natural next question for future research is to explore the extent to which the current effects extend to other countries and cultures. Indeed, given the ubiquity of personal photography worldwide (Kislinger & Kotrschal, 2021), the effects studied in the current article have the potential to be widely applicable, suggesting value for future research to directly test whether people hold similar goals for taking firstperson versus third-person personal photographs across cultures, and whether there are similar consequences when viewing photographs that match one's goals. Sontag (1977) argued that the cultural dominance of photography has conditioned us to be on the lookout for potential photographable moments as we navigate life.…”

Photographs of Actions: What Makes Them Special Cues to Social Perception

“…Six representational characteristics of action photos are most relevant in terms of this particular social perception: the clarity of the pictured movements, the visibility of muscle activities and skin, the visibility of somatosensory activities or sensations, the clarity of the involved object or context, the clarity of the action goal, and the emotional value of the pictured action or sensation. People generally use photos for social purposes, such as relating to other people, animals, plants, things, and places or making sense of a complex social world [ 102 ]. Viewing action photos enables people to relive what others have done and felt and to prepare their own motor behaviors.…”

“…What is generated through cognitive processes is meaning. The term “cognitive function” describes a specific contribution of neural information processing to the well-being, prosperity, survival, or reproductive success of individuals [ 102 ].…”

“…Together with the amygdala, these structures contribute to conscious, emotionally charged experiences of pictured actions [ 136 ]. Such experiences or feelings probably play a central role in the attractiveness that video clips or photos of outdoor activities, sports, fighting, or sex have for many people [ 102 ].…”

Analisis Foto Cerita Menanti Petir Siang Bolong Karya Angger Timur

“…Orang-orang yang menggunakan kamera memilih perspektif tertentu, bingkai tertentu, dan momen tertentu ketika mereka menekan tombol rana (Kislinger & Kotrschal, 2021) hal inilah yang menjadikan foto cerita memiliki elemen tertentu di setiap ceritanya. Dalam membuat fota cerita ada beberapa elemen foto cerita yang harus diperhatikan.…”