Six themes of the communicative appropriation of photographic images

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we explore the use of digital photographs in computer-mediated communication. We present Lascaux, an instant messaging client that serves as a research platform for studying visual communication with digital photographs. Through a combined analysis of the uses of images in Lascaux as well as the uses of images in other communicative contexts, we arrived at six themes of appropriation: the image as amplification, the image as narrative, the image as awareness, the image as local expression, the image as invitation, and the image as object/instrument. For each theme, we explore the ways in which a medium may be designed to support that class of appropriation. Finally, we reflect on the relationship between literacy, mastery, and appropriation.

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Index Terms

• Human-centered computing

  • Collaborative and social computing

• Information systems

  • Information systems applications

    • Multimedia information systems

  • World Wide Web

    • Web applications

      • Internet communications tools