Digital Photographs in Social Media Platforms: Preliminary Findings

This paper discusses the early findings of a web-based survey on digital photographs accessed and stored on photo-sharing and social networking platforms. The study is part of a larger doctoral research project in the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies at the University of British Columbia. The working title of that project is "The Trustworthiness of Digital Photographs Accessed and Stored in Social Media Platforms." This article presents a brief overview of the literature on the topic, drawn from different perspectives in the domains of the law and journalism, filtered through the lens of archival science. A number of key issues have been identified in the results of the web-based survey and are presented in this paper as a catalyst for more in-depth discussions throughout the study. The purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of the creation, management and preservation of digital photographs in social media platforms, with a focus on the factors that support or hinder the reliability, accuracy and authenticity of digital photographs and collections. The target audience is archivists and information professionals that are considering methods for acquiring and managing user-generated content that may reside in online platforms that utilize cloud computing services.