Tactile photography

Abstract

Although much of the previous work on mobile photography has focused on its role for visual communication in networked visuality (Van House et all. 2005; van Dijck 2007, 2013, etc.), the substantial proportion of mobile digital photography remains unshared. Visuality may not be a core practice to frame such photos practiced within wider practical contexts such as inscribing, personal archiving, carrying-with, and even being forgotten. To examine this less-articulated but pervasive phenomenon, this paper examines the sensitive aspect of mobile photography as an extension of debates regarding the tactile adoption of mobile media (Cooley 2004, Verhoeff 2012, Pink et al 2016, etc.). Based on ethnographic data with Japanese users, it explores how mobile media has affected photographic practices and a new visual culture, herein termed “tactile photography.”