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i lynch: i scroll: i see

MA thesis, 2018

Documented videos of violence are not new or peculiar to the digital space. However, their growing presence on social media networks, bring to light an emerging genre with specific aesthetic sensibilities, which this project shall explore. Often labeled ‘Caught on Camera’ and ‘Exposed’, the videos are recorded as a way to reveal atrocities and publicly shame the perpetrator of the violent act. Increasingly, perpetrators of violence are found filming and sharing the act themselves. In India, videos of hate-crime and mob lynching are recorded and shared by extremist groups under the pretext of a ‘warning’ .

The proliferation of videos in the digital space can be attributed to the increasing ease of image capture, viewing and sharing. CCTV devices and the camera phone, in particular, ensure that the technological means to record and reproduce events are easily accessible. This research project examines the video circuits of everyday violence in public spaces, and the range of meanings these evoke, depending on their specific position within these circuits. The growing phenomenon of viral videos begs a pressing need to understand these digital video cultures at the intersection of digital activism, public vigilantism and mutual surveillance. 

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