Il ruolo sociale delle immagini digitali

Abstract

Images have always played a particularly important role in social culture, but this has been particularly evident since the appearance of photography in the nineteenth century and especially since the emergence of digital photography. This article therefore intends to develop a reflection on the social role currently played by digital images. This will be done taking into account the interpretative difficulties caused by the vastness of the scientific literature on digital images, object of study of many disciplinary fields. For this reason, after an introductory analysis on the nature and functioning of the digital image, we will try above all to show how this type of image acts in two concrete cases: the selfie and Instagram. That is, it is believed that through specific cases it is possible to analyze how digital images actually act within society.