The Gaze

In physics, the term observer effect refers to changes that the act of observation will make on the phenomenon being observed. This is often the result of instruments that, by necessity, alter the state of what they measure in some manner. Similarly in psychology, people change their behavior when aware of being watched. So too in media does the act of looking differentiate an object from the photographed object, for example. Consider the phone as an object, a tool with different associations. A photograph of the same phone demands a viewer’s attention and contemplation of the object and the intended gaze upon it. Thus, the photographed object is less about the object itself and more about an act or intention. Following the phone example, the act of staring at a phone renders thoughts of anticipation and anxiety while waiting for a call.