For many years, researchers have explored digital support for  photographs and various methods of interaction around those  photos. Services like Instagram, Facebook, and Flickr have  demonstrated the value of online photographs in social media. Yet we  know relatively little about these new practices of mobile social  photography and in-situ sharing. Drawing on screen and audio  recordings of mobile photo app use, this paper documents the  ephemeral practices of social photography with mobile devices. We  uncover how photo use on mobile devices is centered around social  interactions both through online services, but also face-to-face  around the devices themselves. We argue for a new role for the  mobile photograph, supporting networks of communication through  instantaneous interactions, complemented with rich, in person  discussions of captured images with family and friends; photography  not for careful selection and archive, but as quick social play and  talk. The paper concludes by discussing the design possibilities of  ephemeral communication.
['Barry A. T. Brown', 'Frank Bentley', 'Saeideh Bakhshi', 'David A. Shamma']
Ephemeral Photowork: Understanding the Mobile Social Photography Ecosystem