Reviving old photographs on facebook : why and how people interact with digitised photographs
Date Issued
February 2023
Author(s)
Advisor
Abstract
This research examines how and why Facebook members engage with digitised old
photographs. By adopting a qualitative approach to the research and a case-study-based
methodology, the research shows how individuals use old photographs on Facebook and
in other photographic sources, including institutional repositories, and emphasises the
role of memory in these interactions. The main factors analysed include: the subject
matter of the photographs, the motivations behind users’ engagement with digitised old
images, and the characteristics of various photographic repositories as perceived by the
research participants. The findings show that a sense of belonging determines user
preference both for specific photographs and for choice of photographic repository.
Individuals seem to prefer certain repositories mainly because those repositories give
them a sense of belonging, especially through a personal connection to particular
photographs. This connection is created by personal memories or post-memories
combined with the possibility of participation offered by the repository, which enriches
the process of co-remembrance. The research results are analysed through the lens of
communicative memory (Assmann 1995) and reflective nostalgia (Boym 2001).
The research suggests that in order to understand the use of digital institutional
photographic repositories and the reasons why individuals use or do not use them, the
research population needs to be broadened beyond the users of institutional repositories.
photographs. By adopting a qualitative approach to the research and a case-study-based
methodology, the research shows how individuals use old photographs on Facebook and
in other photographic sources, including institutional repositories, and emphasises the
role of memory in these interactions. The main factors analysed include: the subject
matter of the photographs, the motivations behind users’ engagement with digitised old
images, and the characteristics of various photographic repositories as perceived by the
research participants. The findings show that a sense of belonging determines user
preference both for specific photographs and for choice of photographic repository.
Individuals seem to prefer certain repositories mainly because those repositories give
them a sense of belonging, especially through a personal connection to particular
photographs. This connection is created by personal memories or post-memories
combined with the possibility of participation offered by the repository, which enriches
the process of co-remembrance. The research results are analysed through the lens of
communicative memory (Assmann 1995) and reflective nostalgia (Boym 2001).
The research suggests that in order to understand the use of digital institutional
photographic repositories and the reasons why individuals use or do not use them, the
research population needs to be broadened beyond the users of institutional repositories.
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
Myrto_Theocharidou_Doctoral Dissertation_interactive and signed PDF_0.pdf
Size
7.35 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
7ee0ca825e78017807303a3796160545
Name
Abstract Myrto_Theocharidou_PHD.pdf
Size
285.5 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
c4a66f7232187175294968d0454fd4cf