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Affective Dynamics of Images in the Era of Social Media (2015-2019)

Demonstration in Cairo on December 20th, 2011.

Demonstration in Cairo on December 20th, 2011.
Image Credit: Getty Images Dailymail

Head of Project

Former staff members




Affective Dynamics of Images in the Era of Social Media: Photographic Testimonies, Images of Martyrs and Videos of Suicide-Bombers in North and West Africa (completed with June 2019)

The worldwide expansion of social media brought forth new forms of witnessing, protest and participation in which images play a crucial role. Certain images and image genres acquire a particularly affective efficacy and agency, which can lead to actions and processes of community building. New social media practices such as ’liking’, ‘sharing’ and ‘commenting’ of images vitally contribute to these affective dynamics which will be investigated by the project using the example of three image genres in North and West Africa: “photographic image testimonies,” “martyr images,” and “suicide bombers’ video testimonies.” The overarching goal is to analyze the new configurations of images’ affective economies in the age of social media.

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