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combined performance of the manmachine system. So where is the cult of the digital camera leading us, and is there any sign that our obsession with it is beginning to wear off? One of the interesting consequences of the digitisation of music was that MP3 proved a catalyst for the revival of vinyl, with fans frustrated by a deterioration of sound quality and lamenting the loss of the physical object. But as yet there has been little evidence of a regressive photography movement. Never mind Box Brownies, digital SLR sales were reported to have fallen by 10-15 per cent last year. There has however been a backlash against some of the behaviour that the new technology allows, perhaps put most clearly by the band Savages, who issued the following note to fans in a bid to stop fans from succumbing to the belief that they couldnt possibly have been at the gig if they didnt have photos of it. Our goal is to discover better ways of living and experiencing music. We believe that the use of phones to lm and take pictures during a gig prevents all of us from totally immersing ourselves. Lets make this evening special. Silence your phones. Our addiction to taking and posting photos of everything we do has led to the emergence of apps like Snapchat, which is either endishly clever or downright weird, depending on your view. Were now savvy enough to know that if we leave our photos

up online, someone may take advantage of them and we leave ourselves open to missing out on that job interview or having to explain ourselves to our partners and could even leave ourselves open to serious abuse. Rather though than deciding not to post the photos that make us vulnerable in the rst place, we now have an app that allows us to full our craving for digital exhibitionism but only for a short while, before the images disappear as if well, as if theyd never been taken. Perhaps its not so surprising that the man who wears an automated camera that has taken over 150,000 pictures does not feel that our infatuation with the camera has reached its zenith. I think it is still building, says Bell. But at some point people will say whats the point? since someone else will be capturing the moment and youll be able to get the image from the web. When that time is however, remains to be seen.

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24/01/2014 10:00