John Suler's PhotoPsychology
Abandoned by Flickr
In the interviews I conducted for my research on Flickr ( The CyberPsychology of Flickr ), people often mentioned how much they appreciated their contacts and friendships in this photo-sharing community. However, people also mentioned their feelings of disappointment when the number of favs, comments, and views on their photos suddenly decline, or almost vanish completely – especially when they put effort into those images, were taking a risk with some new technique or subject, or when those photos were personally meaningful. If even their regular visitors were not commenting, that disappointment was particularly noticeable, like feeling ignored, rejected, or abandoned. This feedback in the interviews reminded me of how research suggests that people may experience online relationships as important and meaningful, but also as fragile and ephemeral.
Abandoned by Flickr
In the interviews I conducted for my research on Flickr ( The CyberPsychology of Flickr ), people often mentioned how much they appreciated their contacts and friendships in this photo-sharing community. However, people also mentioned their feelings of disappointment when the number of favs, comments, and views on their photos suddenly decline, or almost vanish completely – especially when they put effort into those images, were taking a risk with some new technique or subject, or when those photos were personally meaningful. If even their regular visitors were not commenting, that disappointment was particularly noticeable, like feeling ignored, rejected, or abandoned. This feedback in the interviews reminded me of how research suggests that people may experience online relationships as important and meaningful, but also as fragile and ephemeral.