Can a Photo change the world?
Jannah Esa
Changing the world is an extremely dangerous and challenging task. Everyday a journalist takes one step towards changing the world. Photos connect people emotionally. Photos inspire people accept others and empathize with others. However, can a photo actually change the world? Can a photo change the hearts of 7 billion people? Has a photo ever changed the world? A photo can have an intense impact on the feelings of many people, societies and governments, but it cannot influence the hearts of 7 billion.
The terrorist attack on the Twin Towers was one of the most horrific events in the world. Photos of this event connected people around the world. It changed many societies, especially with travel laws around the world. This seems as if this event and its photos that documented it changed the world. However, if the photos that told this horrific story changed the hearts of 7 billion, why is there still terrorist attacks in today’s society? Maybe it is because what we see is controlled by the government and big companies that have a huge impact on the media. The article Censorship of War Casualties in the U.S. talks about how the government has control over what photos we see about war. Also, in the article Big Media Companies And Their Many Brands — In One Chart, the author gives a chart on big companies such as Walt Disney, has on media sites such as Facebook and the History Channel.
How can photos change the world if what we see is controlled, and we cannot see the full truth ? Take a look at the photo below, this photo shows that there are two angles to one photo, or in other words, two sides to one story. At one angle it seems as if the soldiers during the war do not have many feelings about the casualties of war, but from another angle, the photo shows guilt, regret, and sadness within the soldiers.
How can photos change the world if what we see is controlled, and we cannot see the full truth ? Take a look at the photo below, this photo shows that there are two angles to one photo, or in other words, two sides to one story. At one angle it seems as if the soldiers during the war do not have many feelings about the casualties of war, but from another angle, the photo shows guilt, regret, and sadness within the soldiers.
Photo by: Joseph Eaton
Image source: https://i.imgur.com/IWKzCfE.jpg
In his Ted talk Johnathan Klien states “We are looking for something more. We are looking for images that shine light on crucial events… Images that provoke us to step and do something.” He uses the photo of the small earth, that sparked a movement. There are many photos that spark movements such as the photo below. This photo changed my life and many other lives, and started the movement Black Lives Matter. Sadness, anger, and passion rose from this photo. I eagerly wanted this photo and photos like this to change racism all over the world. However, even though this photo sparked something in millions of people, there are millions of people who were not affected at all by this photo and does not care about the Black Lives Matter movement. Therefore, even though photos provoke us to step us and do something, it does not have an impact on the entire world. Another example of this is the photograph of Boris Yeltsin dancing. This photo is what made him the president of Russia. However, it would be crazy to think that every citizen had a change of heart because of this photo.
- Photo by: Wesley Lowery
Many photos have came close to changing the world, sparking many movements and changes in society. However, if the photo is actually going to change the world it has to spark a change in 7 billion hearts.
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