BOOK REVIEW. THE NEW PHOTOGRAPHY: RESPONSIBILITY IN VISUAL COMMUNICATION

Abstract

British sociologist Frank Webster critically examines photography as a symbolic communication
tool and vehicle for propaganda. This eight-chapter work explores the technological evolution of photography,
its ties to photojournalism, and the cultural and political implications of visual imagery. Webster contends that
photography, though seemingly objective, is shaped by cultural codes and individual subjectivities. Through
an interdisciplinary lens — sociology, anthropology, linguistics, and communication — he deconstructs visual
symbols, challenges stereotypes, and highlights the photographer’s political role. He argues that
understanding communicative and cultural mechanisms can foster more socially aware and critical
photographers. Though stylistically dated, the book remains relevant by showing how photography is often
accepted as truth, laden with cultural meanings and rarely questioned.