Image Testimonies Witnessing In Times Of Social Media

Description

Recent political conflicts signal an increased proliferation of image testimonies shared widely via social media. Although witnessing with and through images is not a phenomenon of the internet era, contemporary digital image practices and politics have significantly intensified the affective economies of image testimonies. This volume traces the contours of these conditions and develops a conception of image testimony along four areas of focus. The first and second section of this volume reflects the discussion of image testimonies as an interplay of evidential qualities and their potential to express affective relationalities and emotional involvement. The third section focuses on the question of how social media technologies shape and subsequently are shaped by image testimonies. To further complicate the ethical position of the witness, the final section looks at image testimony at the intersection of creation and destruction, taking into account the perspectives of different actors and their opposed moral positions. With an emphasis on the affectivity of these images, Image Testimonies provides new and so far overlooked insights in the field. It will appeal to students and researchers interested in fields such as Sociology and Social Policy, Media and Communications, Visual Arts and Culture and Middle East Studies. Cover ......Page 1 Half Title ......Page 2 Series Page ......Page 3 Title Page ......Page 4 Copyright Page ......Page 5 Table of Contents ......Page 6 Notes on contributors......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 12 Towards a concept of image testimony......Page 14 Image testimony in the social media era......Page 18 Affective dimensions of image testimony......Page 19 Temporalities of witnessing......Page 20 In conversation......Page 21 Part III—social media practices......Page 22 Part IV—witnessing destruction......Page 23 Notes......Page 24 References......Page 25 PART I Epistemologies of testimonies......Page 28 2 Credibility in crisis: contradictions of web video witnessing......Page 30 Unreliability of the witness......Page 31 The politics of witnessing......Page 32 The resurrected “videolow”......Page 34 Crisis readiness and the dilemma of strategic witnessing......Page 35 New mediators and the datalow......Page 38 Notes......Page 40 References......Page 41 3 Affective images and the political trial......Page 43 Giving testimony in court: affective performance in the time machine......Page 45 Images and their performative power as evidence......Page 47 The objectivity and affectivity of images......Page 48 The political trial......Page 49 Affective images and the political trial......Page 50 Notes......Page 52 References......Page 54 In conversation......Page 58 4 Fearless filming: video footage from Syria since 2011......Page 60 PART II Affective witnessing......Page 70 5 “Moroccan Lives Matter”: practices and politics of affecting......Page 72 Connecting with others through images......Page 74 “Sousveilling” police violence......Page 75 A case of “hogra”......Page 76 Unfolding witnessing......Page 77 Amateur aesthetics......Page 79 Affective media witnessing......Page 81 References......Page 83 6 Drone’s-eye view: affective witnessing and technicities of perception......Page 85 Drone apparatus......Page 87 The drone as affective witness......Page 89 Witnessing the predator empire......Page 97 References......Page 98 PART III Social media practices......Page 100 Introduction......Page 102 Photographic witnessing and the Israeli occupation......Page 103 Palestinian photojournalists, witnessing and Facebook......Page 108 Conclusion......Page 114 References......Page 115 8 Witnessing to survive: selfie videos, live mobile witnessing and black necropolitics......Page 117 Black mobile witnessing......Page 119 Livestream and the emergency of the everyday......Page 124 From lynching spectacle to selfie reflexivity......Page 128 References......Page 131 9 Eye, flesh, world: three modes of digital witnessing......Page 134 Eye-witnessing and the ethics of kinaesthetics......Page 135 Flesh-witnessing and the gesture of discomposure......Page 139 World-witnessing and vital signs......Page 143 Conclusion......Page 146 References......Page 147 PART IV Witnessing destruction......Page 150 The genre of suicide bombers’ videos: a historical perspective......Page 152 Suicide bombers’ videos as anticipatory testimonies......Page 156 Postproduction as a form of co-witnessing......Page 159 Deconstructing truth-claims......Page 164 References......Page 165 Introduction......Page 167 The Islamic State......Page 168 Systematic and historical remarks on iconoclasm......Page 169 An overview of the Islamic State’s destructions......Page 170 Destruction and communication—three examples......Page 172 Notes......Page 177 References......Page 178 12 From Cape Town to Timbuktu: iconoclastic testimonies in the age of social media......Page 180 #RhodesMustFall in Cape Town......Page 181 Brett Murray’s “The Spear” in a Johannesburg art gallery......Page 185 Timbuktu 2012......Page 187 Conclusion......Page 191 Notes......Page 193 References......Page 194