Photographic self-presentation under COVID-19 isolation measurements

Abstract

Amidst the “Structural Violence and COVID-19” research project, the photographic self-presentation in vulnerable conditions due to isolation and recovery from the disease was examined. The use of photographs in social network sites expands, rather than replace, the modes of social interaction. In this context, private messaging platforms offer a channel through which people present themselves to their audiences in a more comfortable manner. The examined images derive from a semi-structured interview which served to recover the health experience among the participants. The photographic query explored (a) the presence in social network sites, (b) behaviours on visual content, (c) means of communication used during isolation or hospitalisation, and (d) self-interpretations of visual artefacts shared during illness moments. Regarding the practice of self-portraiture, a balance was detected between those who used photographs to present themselves to their loved ones and other acquaintances, and those who did not use photography during the hospitalisation process. Upon reconnecting with their photographs, several feelings arose; suggesting happiness after recovery. In addition, people clearly remember how they felt at the time of taking their self-portraits.

ECA Estudios Centroamericanos, Vol. 77, No. 770, 2022 : 99-114.