Howard Rheingold went into some really interesting commentary over on TheFeature about cameraphones as social software.
Rheingold hypothesizes that the cameraphone will come to exist as something completely different from both phone and camera, something more akin to visual storytelling. As with all photography, it is ultimately about point of view in snapping up what you see. With cameraphones, you are more likely to snap the unexpected moments and to have more freedom for use: for oneself, to share physically, or to send electronically. With the ability to snap and share, so to speak, we have a heightened "visual awareness" that accompanies our social relations.
And although these devices transmit images through the Internet, they are also turning out, rather unexpectedly, to be face-to-face media. It looks like this newly ubiquitous device could be more about flows of moments than stocks of images, more about sharing presence than transporting messages, and ultimately, more about personal narrative than factual communication.
Rheingold talks about cameraphones as the new way to establish social presence with those who may be geographically distant. I think this says a lot about the similarity between sending images (MMS) and sending text (SMS) - people tend to talk about how they use the technology as a supplementary way to keep in touch. I think the word "multisensory" is really key - sending images and sending text will never replace phone, or even email, but they add a new dimension to the way people connect through time and space.
Rheingold points to research done by Okabe showing that more people share cameraphone images than upload them to their computers. The images act as a part of the "shared awareness" both virtual and in person. Not only do people email their images, they also use them as illustrative tools in face-to-face meetings.
As Richard Smith points out, the ability to use your cameraphone as a "personal storytelling media" is really dependent on how good your phone is. If you can't store the pictures, are restricted by light conditions or poor resolution, you are less likely to be capable or inclined to use your phone to capture the frames of your everyday life.
Do you think you use your cameraphone differently than you do your camera?
