Abstract

ZUBERO BEASCOECHEA, Imanol. Spectators of the Pain of Others: An Image Is Not Worth More Than a Thousand Words. rev.estud.soc. [online]. 2016, n.57, pp.89-99. ISSN 0123-885X.  https://doi.org/10.7440/res57.2016.07.

This work is intended to be an updated review of one of the most debated issues in the field of the sociology of communication: the relationship between mediated knowledge and social action. Taking the apparent evolution of the thought of Susan Sontag on this matter as its axis, the article reflects on the limits and the potentialities of images, particularly those transmitted by the mass media, to put us in the place of the other. It proposes a trans-disciplinary approach, turning to analyses and proposals drawn from sociology, communication sciences, artistic creation, etc. The article ends by vindicating the value of the image as a rupture of normality and, therefore, as a mobilizer of ethical sentiment.

Keywords : Ethics; photography; critical eye; mediated reality.

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