Han (2022) says that analogue photographs are things because we take great care in keeping them safe. Sure, analogue, printed photos of a Kodak camera are probably kept in an album. As did my mom. She used to have a polaroid camera and it produced a couple of hundreds of “still” photos. I can see my younger self in them. My mom can see her younger self in them. In one of these photos, my long deceased dad is trying to teach my 5-year-old self how to hold a cricket bat. It is a photograph that was taken more than 20 years ago and one of the only memories I still have of my loving dad, who could not survive a stroke. I believe, analogue photos occupy a physical space and according to Han, they can be a means of resurrection. So, analogue photography is a “certificate of presence”.
Han (2022) opines that digital photography is not an emanation, rather elimination of the referent. Selfie is a digital photography because they take up space in mobile devices only, but not “real” space. Han (2022) says a selfie is not a thing, it is just a digital information, thus a non-thing. But I disagree. Selfies might not have physical presence, but they are precious. As far as memory is concerned, selfies help us make memories with our near and dear ones. People might argue about them being transient and only expressions of narcissism and full of self. I’m an avid selfie-taker. My Phone has almost 1500 photos stored in it, many of them are selfies. Invoking Adam Levine I’ll say “Memories bring back memories o you”. I believe, selfies can be pretty close to our heart and they are meant to be kept dearly. So, they are things! (185) [SD-12].
[Han,2022].
The “Transience” Nature of Selfies: Are they non-things? Hint- They Are Not!
