During the Iranian election protests back in 2009, a 26-year-old woman named Nedā Āghā-Soltān (above right) was shot and killed while standing around and observing protestors. After footage of her death went viral online — Time says it’s likely the “most widely witnessed death in human history” — Neda’s portrait became the face of the movement, as countless protestors around the world held large prints overlaid with statements like, “Neda did not die in vain.” The problem is, one of the main photos used wasn’t actually of Neda. Read more…
In addition to being used for art and documentation, photographs have long been a medium of communication. This is even more true in this social networking age in which photographs can easily be used to tear people down or build people up. This heartwarming video published over at Facebook Stories is a great example of the power of socially shared photos. Here’s the brief synopsis:
When a high-school athlete was blamed for a losing season, his entire school had his back. See how his classmates turned something as common as their profile pictures into an extraordinary act of support.
The whole “change your profile picture in support of a cause” thing is nothing new, but this is a pretty awesome example of it being used to make a positive difference in someone’s life.
