Photographers are mostly publishing for each other

Photographers no longer publish in a communal environment to captive mass audiences. A diffusion of attention undermines their ability to shape public opinion through their work. Some of the same platforms that have facilitated greater diversity in the field, allowing unrecognized photographers and gatekeepers to forge new relationships, have filtered the world into innumerable information factions. While it is high time photography became more inclusive, it’s unclear who will see the perspectives of these formerly marginalized talents. The demise of traditional media has occurred alongside a proliferation of digital publications and blogs devoted to photography, but these sites have a limited reach. While looking at documentary photography online, one may have the feeling that photographers are mostly publishing for each other. If self-segregation continues, and divisive algorithms prevail, I fear photographers from underrepresented backgrounds will once again go unheard, publishing for small communities and gaining no wider audience. The required adjustments photographers must make are as psychological as they are tactical. This means using new language, revising ambitions, and identifying personal standards by which to measure impact”

(Danielle Jackson)