Sociophotography: A methodology for building a critical imaginaire of digital technologies

The article discusses the concept of sociophotography, which resulted from a research-creation experiment on uses of digital technologies and their societal impact. It proposes a typology of methodologies through which photography can contribute to creative research: ethnographic photography; critical documentary photography; document capture; photo elicitation; and participatory photography. Based on analysis of visual productions, five sociophotographic research-creation methodologies are identified: documentary production, which remains the royal road of photographic investigation; reflective methodology; mimesis or counter-mimesis methodology, following in the footsteps of fiction or utopia; and, lastly, pragmatist methodology. In the context of a workshop-laboratory in which they were deployed, their heuristic value lies in their ability to build a critical collective vision or “imaginaire”1 of digital technologies, in line with Information and Communication Sciences research. Far beyond illustrating digital worlds, such productions can support an interpretive visual narrative that leaves room for the authentic emotions of users of digital media.

Sophie Jehel. Sociophotography: A methodology for building a critical imaginaire of digital technologies. Hybrid. Revue des arts et médiations humaines, 2025, 14, ⟨10.4000/1568f⟩ (lien externe). ⟨hal-05725823⟩ (lien externe)