The experience of photologging: global mechanisms and local interactions

This paper describes an in-depth study of the photologging behaviour of a small group of women who are part of an active expatriate community. In addition to sharing with family and friends in their home country, the participants appropriated the photolog as part of local social interactions both with local friends and as part of their role in the local community. The photographs themselves sometimes resemble those of physical albums, but also include more candid, imperfect and apparently trivial topics. The participants report a subtle pattern of prospective anticipation of the impact of postings and retrospective reflection and discussion of others’ postings, linking posters and viewers of photologs in a rich unfolding web of interactions within an extended episodic experience.