How Social Media Has Changed Photographs

  A/N: First of all, I don't know anything about photography. Just saying. 

  I once read about a study about Facebook being linked to depression. No, browsing Facebook doesn't cause depression--well, not directly--but it does factor in. People tend to make social comparisons when browsing social media sites. Want an example? You see a picture of your ex with his new girlfriend. Whether or not you've moved on from him doesn't matter--when you compare yourself with the girl, you're making a social comparison. And it was all based on a picture.
  Maybe it's just me, but nowadays, it feels like a lot of people take pictures just so they can post them online. I read a Buzzfeed article earlier this morning (well, it was more of a comparison between photos of Kylie Jenner in 2010 and the ones she has now), and I felt like my belief was exemplified in Kylie Jenner. The photos she were taking of herself in the 2010s showed a smiling girl, with less-than-perfect lighting conditions and the outfits that were popular in that year. Her photos this year come off as more manufactured, her filler-enhanced lips in an eternal pout. She's beautiful in every photo, but there was a stark difference between her 2010 and 2015 photos.
  I don't like taking pictures of myself, but I do admit that I post my artwork online, on sites like Facebook and Tumblr. And, yes, I get a rush of excitement and pride when I see that someone has liked my photo. There's also a letdown when people don't take notice of it. Yep, vanity is at work there.
  And I am an extremely self-conscious person. I don't like pictures being taken of me because I know that I'll look more horrendous than I am in real life--and I don't want people on Facebook to see that. Conversely, other people take dozens of pictures of themselves in order to get their pick from their array.
  This is how social media has changed photographs for most of us. Most people wouldn't upload a shot that has their thumb obscuring part of the frame. We  are self-conscious, and we want people to see what we want them to see. The days when you took a photo just so you can keep it in your album to look at whenever you feel like it are gone. These days, it's like a constant showing-off contest. (Don't get me started on hashtags...)
   I'm not saying that everyone who posts photographs on social media are constant attention-seekers. But we have to admit that some people--maybe that's even us!--are posting for the sake of likes, for shares, for flattering comments. Which, personally, takes the meaning of 'a picture is worth a thousand words' and leaves it stale. Instead of letting a picture talk for itself, we strive to manufacture those words and force the photos to echo us.
  "Pa-like po!"