‘Family Portraits’ of the Devices That Have Replaced Human Interactions

Family Portraits is a project by Greek photographer Maria Mavropoulou that explores the role Internet-connected devices now play in our everyday lives.

“The screens of the connectible devices we use are the only way we can have access to this parallel man-made universe, the Internet,” Mavropoulou writes in a statement about the project. “Our lives have changed, from the simplest task to the way we perceive the world around us.

“Those devices guide us through the real world, they answer our questions, they advise us and keep us company day and night. We look at them, touch them, and talk to them in almost an intimate way.

“Acknowledging these facts made me look at these devices from a different perspective.”

The series shows the darkened spaces of home and work, faintly illuminated by the glow of phones, computers, and televisions.

“In this casual scenery of our everyday life, our comfort zones this multitude of glowing immersive gates, like an opposite of black holes, promise limitless possibilities,” Mavropoulou writes. “Information, entertainment, human connection, and much more, are available anywhere and anytime, breaking the physical bond with the reality that surrounds us.”

“Never before had communication been so easy. Social networks and countless applications are created to serve our constant need for human connection but is there any chance that we have achieved the opposite?” Mavropoulou asks. “Having for the first time in history such an easy and direct access to a huge and constantly increasing volume of information has made us wiser or are we just creating a detailed and multidimensional mirror of ourselves where we constantly seek our reflection as a confirmation of our existence?

“Or [have] these ‘extensions of our hands’ […] actually replaced our best friends, our family or even our lovers?”

You can find more of Mavropoulou’s work on her website, Facebook, and Instagram.