The goal of the affordance/constraint essay is to demonstrate your ability to think critically about the ways that different tools impact the production of media, and about how those changes, in turn, impact our relationship, as producers and consumers, to media artifacts. This first essay focuses on imaging technologies.
You are to compose a first-person essay of at least three double-spaced pages (in a 12 point font size, with 1″ margins; if you include images in your document these do NOT count towards the three pages–I’d like three pages of text). Please do not turn in your first draft. I expect that your essay will go through a bit of revision so that it is clear, well-organized, and adheres to accepted standards of English grammar and punctuation. The most effective essays include and explain SPECIFIC EXAMPLES to illustrate your points. You do not need to cite outside sources, but course readings and videos may be helpful. If you use these, please provide bibliographic references in a standard format (e.g., MLA, APA, etc.)
Again, your essay should discuss specific technologies and media artifacts. Be wary of generalization.
TOPIC:
Image editing has always been possible to some extent, but digital technology has certainly made editing easier, cheaper, and more variable (meaning, there are many more kinds of edits that can be made now than in the past). Pick one digital editing app or software program that you use and explain its affordances and constraints. How have the affordances and constraints of this app/program made a difference in the way you take and share images? How has the way you take, edit, and share images changed over time because of the affordances and constraints of the various imaging technologies you have used and the image editing programs you have had access to? How has your use of editing programs influenced how you think about images you encounter in the world? How do you think the availability of digital editing technology has changed social and cultural ideas about photography and photographic images?
