Billions of photos are being taken every week and most of them have little meaning or value to anyone else other than the photographer and a few likers. Photography has become universally available and we now share more images than ever. Yet out of billions of images, some remain burned in our memories and we feel a compulsion the share them with the world, even if our world and those around us have little to do with what is depicted in these images.
The most powerful viral photos in recent years are heartbreaking stories of humanity or lack of it. They remind us how lucky we are and how we often forget it and that somewhere in the world people struggle every day because of conflict, famine, terror or political decisions made only to serve those in power.
Photography has never been more powerful and this power doesn’t come from better cameras and lenses, but from our ability to transmit these images to anyone anywhere in the world, to make these stories visible and let others know what’s going on.
A viral photo can be powerful enough to change governments or make the necessary changes that will improve a situation. Whether it’s the iconic protest of one man against a line of tanks, the last recorded image of the Titanic before it sank or the horrifying photos taken on 9/11, these are the images we best remember and that alone should be something to think about.
We see all kinds of photos being shared every day, many of them humorous or related to recent events in the lives of celebrities we admire. But the images that truly count are sadly those that haunt us. Here is the video with the most powerful viral photographs of the century.
Learn more about the history of photography from these recommended books:
- The History of Photography: From 1839 to the Present
- Photography: A Cultural History
- Camera: A History of Photography from Daguerreotype to Digital