'Broken India' Shows How Cropping Can Hide True Realities
Christopher Magsambol — October 2, 2015 — Pop Culture
'Limitless' released a social media campaign called 'Broken India' that exposes the true realities behind much of the vacation pictures people take.
The photo series is critical of the use of cropping, targeting the popular app Instagram. Broken India challenges how most people pick and choose a very small portion of an area to take a picture of and post to social media. These images often hide and ignore the poverty-ridden realities.
The campaign uses black and white photographs that show an expansive view of India often including poverty and destruction. This is contrasted with a small, cropped out colored portion of the landscape that features a limited, deceptively pleasurable view. This small colored portion tends to resemble most Instagram posts, and is labeled as beautiful India. The campaign attempts to shed light on the fact that social media pictures often hide the unfavorable aspects of Indian culture.
The photo series is critical of the use of cropping, targeting the popular app Instagram. Broken India challenges how most people pick and choose a very small portion of an area to take a picture of and post to social media. These images often hide and ignore the poverty-ridden realities.
The campaign uses black and white photographs that show an expansive view of India often including poverty and destruction. This is contrasted with a small, cropped out colored portion of the landscape that features a limited, deceptively pleasurable view. This small colored portion tends to resemble most Instagram posts, and is labeled as beautiful India. The campaign attempts to shed light on the fact that social media pictures often hide the unfavorable aspects of Indian culture.
Trend Themes
1. Authenticity in Social Media - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop platforms or campaigns that promote authentic and unfiltered content, challenging the trend of cropping and selective representation on social media.
2. Social Impact Photography - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create photo projects that bring attention to social issues and highlight the true realities of different cultures, encouraging a more nuanced and empathetic portrayal of the world on social media.
3. Ethical Travel Experiences - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Design travel experiences that prioritize ethical and responsible tourism, providing travelers with opportunities to engage and understand the local communities beyond surface-level snapshots for social media.
Industry Implications
1. Social Media Platforms - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop new features or guidelines that encourage users to share more authentic and diverse content, promoting a more balanced representation of the world on social media platforms.
2. Photography Services - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Offer photography services that focus on capturing the authentic and unfiltered aspects of a destination, catering to travelers who want a more meaningful and socially aware visual representation of their experiences.
3. Tourism and Hospitality - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create social impact tourism initiatives that address local challenges and provide education and awareness about different cultures, encouraging tourists to engage responsibly and promote positive change through their travels.
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