Drones in Visual Culture: Developing a New Theory of Visual Mobile Communication

Lead Research Organisation: University of Sheffield
Department Name: Sociological Studies

Abstract

This Fellowship aims to understand whether and how the use of drone technology in society is changing the way people see the world and visual culture more broadly, and to extend and innovate current theoretical approaches to visual mobile communication. It is underpinned by exploring i) the aesthetic characteristics of drone visuals, ii) how drone visuals circulate and iii) public perception of drone visuals.

Drones are widely understood as unstaffed aircrafts, generally fitted with cameras that can be remotely controlled and used for recreational and commercial purposes. As flying robots, drones can capture images that would be difficult to take with ordinary cameras, providing a wealth of new visual information that would be otherwise unavailable. Aerial photography/videography is not a new phenomenon. What is new and different is that increasingly drones are used not only by drone operators with valid CAA permission, but also by amateurs, noticeably expanding the potential to capture, share and store new visual content.

Research into drones to date has focused on technical aspects and the implications of their use in warzones. There has also been a small amount of research into the issues they raise in terms of surveillance, privacy and ethics, but surprisingly the significance of drones for visual culture has not been addressed. Therefore, I plan to use this Fellowship to address the overarching research question:
- In what ways are drones contributing to or changing contemporary visual cultures?

I will also address the subsidiary research questions:
1.What are the aesthetic, textual, semiotic characteristics of drone visuals?
2.How do drone visuals live? Where are they seen and shared? How widely? By whom? With what implications?
3.What do the general public think about drone visuals? How do they perceive them?
4.What is the impact of drone visuals on culture more widely? What are the main issues they raise?

Through these questions, I will add a digital arts and humanities perspective to the current understanding of drones, and will showcase how such a perspective can move academic research on drones beyond existing analyses of technicalities and safety considerations. For this purpose, this Fellowship will adopt a 'visual culture' approach that pays attention to the visual object and the active experience of the individual in the optical experience. This will be combined with a 'technological mediation' approach that acknowledges the importance of thinking of visuals in the digital age in direct conversation with media and new technologies. In this way, the Fellowship will bring visual communication and culture studies into conversation with other fields, especially internet, digital and mobile media studies.

Methodologically, this Fellowship will employ a mixed methods approach that is novel in its integration of three strands. First, online participant observation will be conducted on drone users and how their visuals circulate online. Second, a survey will be conducted within a public exhibition to collect public perceptions of drone visuals. Third, qualitative content analysis on drone visuals will be conducted to explore their aesthetic characteristics and meanings.

Throughout this Fellowship, I will initiate interdisciplinary dialogue about the importance of drone visuals as an object of investigation in visual culture through the publication of a solo-authored monograph, by holding an interdisciplinary international conference, and publishing one peer-reviewed journal article and a special issue. This research will achieve impact through a workshop with drone users, a drone visuals exhibition and online group discussions.

This project builds on the insights and experience of a British Academy funded pilot project (Small Grant Ref SRG18R1\180618) where I explored users' and developers' perspectives on drone usage.

Planned Impact

1.Who will benefit from this research?
This research will benefit a) members of the public interested in visual culture and b) drone amateur users.

2.How will they benefit from this research?
This Fellowship will influence the way the public perceive drone visuals. Also, it will inform amateur users about what people think of drone usage and the visuals they produce. In order to maximise opportunities for impact, I will run a drone visuals exhibition, a workshop and online group discussions with drone enthusiasts.

-I will organise a drone visuals exhibition with a series of discussions in a public venue in Sheffield city centre. This initiative will serve to both collect data from the public and to achieve impact. The discussions will provide information about the research project, drone technology, and it will explain the purpose of the exhibition. In addition, the exhibition will provide visual examples. People from the public are very likely to experience drone visual content on a daily basis (such as news reports, documentaries, and YouTube videos) and this exhibition will be informative in promoting knowledge of this growing technological phenomenon and its creative potential. This exhibition aims to raise awareness about this new technological development and its potential.

-A workshop will be organised with a visual artist for drone users. The aims of the workshop will be to i) discuss views and thoughts that the public has on drone visuals and drone usage (built on the data collected during the drone visuals exhibition), and ii) to provide additional knowledge and expertise to stimulate amateurs' creative thinking (through visual examples and group activities). These activities may impact on the way drone users progress their creative work.

-Online group discussions about developments in drone technology, including their potential with respect to visual material and their impact in our visual cultures. These discussions will take place with drone amateur fliers on the most used drone platforms, which include online communities, forums and clubs. Through these discussions impact will be achieved raising awareness about the visual potential as well as challenges of using drone technologies.

From the outset, I will share my research and open up discussion with interested members of the public through social media presence, which will allow me to reach a wide audience.

-Two blogposts will be submitted to The Conversation, LSE Impact blog, Medium.com or similar in which the visual potential and challenges of using drones will be discussed. These websites will serve to promote activities and findings beyond the research community. Sharing this research through blogposts will help to achieve impact, allowing me to reach international audiences.
 
Title Views from the Blue: A Glimpse into Drone Photography 
Description The recent growth of civil drones is demonstrating how the images and videos they can capture are changing the way we see the world. Views from the Blue illustrates this by showcasing amazing images produced by civilian drone users allowing visitors to get up close to the characteristics of drone visuals. This exhibition is organised into ten themes: 360-degree vision, access to inaccessible places, defamiliarising the familiar (top-down view), shadow play, verticality (birds-eye view), extreme close-ups, dronies, the power of weather, animal interactions and 'classic' landscapes. Each theme will include an image, accompanied by a short-written reflection exploring its content, which aims to reveal new points of view and ways of thinking about drones. 
Type Of Art Artistic/Creative Exhibition 
Year Produced 2022 
Impact Members of the public had chance to see and reflect on the creative, artistic and positive uses of drones. 
 
Description The use of drone technology in society is changing the way people see the world and visual cultures.

Findings show that the top-down view drones afford are significantly expanding human vision as they make accessible new visual perspectives. These new visuals change people's visual experience of the world. The top-down view that drones afford can reveal patterns and shapes that the human eye is not able to perceive or grant access to places that are out of bounds or difficult to access. This perspective has implication at social, cultural and political level.
Exploitation Route n/a
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy

Creative Economy

Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software)

Education

Culture

Heritage

Museums and Collections

 
Description 1. Dissemination of findings to members of the public through a drone visuals exhibition with discussions. Some of the research described in this application was carried out in collaboration with drone users interviewed for my pilot study, as some of the visual content they produce will be shown at the drone visuals exhibition. This public exhibition (to be curated by Alison Morton, senior exhibition curator at Museums Sheffield) was shown in the Winter Garden, a venue in Sheffield city centre. This helped to maximise the number of people attending the exhibition. The exhibition hosted a series of discussions that provided the public information related to the research project and drone technology. This enhanced the attendees' experience of the exhibition. Attendees were invited to observe the drone visuals and answer a list of questions, which asked people about their views on drone visuals, how they perceive them, and whether and how they think they have an impact in society. This exhibition was both part of the fieldwork (as it will be used to collect data from members of the public) and part of the impact activities. Impact was achieved by raising awareness of the visual potential afforded by drone technology. This is important because most people are exposed to drone visuals without having background knowledge about the technology itself. 2. Workshop with drone users with a visual artist to enhance new creative practices I organised and host a workshop with the collaboration of a visual artist expert skilled in aerial photography/videography and with experience in delivering workshops (considering her professional network, the visual artist was suggested and approached by Alison Morton). Drone users benefited from this workshop as I provided them a venue for reflecting on their drone usage and for getting inspired by potential creative directions. Currently, most events for users are specialised in flight courses only, leaving out the artistic potential. At the beginning of the workshop, I presented the research findings to the attendees. In particular, I discussed views and thoughts that the public has on drone visuals and drone usage (built on the data collected during the drone visuals exhibition). This may help users to consider the comments provided by the public to reflect on their own practices. I then facilitated a group discussion around those comments. The visual artist, through the analysis of visual examples and group activities, provided additional knowledge and expertise to stimulate their creative thinking. The ideas exchanged during the workshop and the group activities has the potential to impact the ways users approach and progress their creative work. The following drone companies have expressed an interest in attending this workshop: Coptrz, Hovaloft, Buzz Drones Ltd, and Flyby Technology. Also, ARPAS-UK the UK Drone Association (see Letter of Support) have expressed their interest in attending the workshop and sharing findings with their list of members. This made a strong contribution in achieving impact as this non-profit association has a large membership drawn from all over the UK. 3. Online group discussions with drone amateur fliers I participated in conversations about developments in drone technology, in its potentials, challenges, and impact in visual culture. These conversations took place on the most well-known drone platforms (online communities, forums and clubs such as DIYdrones.com, Dronestagram, Greyarrow.ws and similar) to explore ways in which my research can feed into contemporary discussions around drones' new creative practices. I was already part of these communities as I used these platforms for the fieldwork of my pilot study. These online group discussions will serve to raise awareness about visual potentials (as well as challenges) in using drone technologies. The online group discussions were divided per theme (e.g. creative drones, public's perspectives on drone visuals). I opened the discussions with a brief summary of my research findings followed questions to invite the group members to contribute with their thoughts and experiences. These discussions encouraged interested members to reflect on their usage and creative approaches. The rationale for the online group discussions is that online platforms have the capacity to maximise the impact outreach. Overall, these pathways to impact increased awareness of the technological development of drones and the associated changes in visual cultures and practices.
First Year Of Impact 2021
Sector Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections
Impact Types Cultural

Societal

 
Description Drones in Society Research Network 
Organisation Polytechnic University of Milan
Country Italy 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution This project established an interdisciplinary research network (I was the main organiser). I have established this research network with the aim to: - Publish an edited collection (Palgrave Pivot currently under review), and - Identify research gaps to develop a collaborative grant proposal.
Collaborator Contribution Some of the partners have submitted short chapters for the Palgrave Pivot edited collection.
Impact Edited collection titled Drones in Society, Palgrave Pivot (currently under review). Disciplines involved: Social sciences, art and photography, journalism, geography, digital media, visual communication, cultural studies, philosophy, and sociology.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Drones in Society Research Network 
Organisation University of Arizona
Country United States 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution This project established an interdisciplinary research network (I was the main organiser). I have established this research network with the aim to: - Publish an edited collection (Palgrave Pivot currently under review), and - Identify research gaps to develop a collaborative grant proposal.
Collaborator Contribution Some of the partners have submitted short chapters for the Palgrave Pivot edited collection.
Impact Edited collection titled Drones in Society, Palgrave Pivot (currently under review). Disciplines involved: Social sciences, art and photography, journalism, geography, digital media, visual communication, cultural studies, philosophy, and sociology.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Drones in Society Research Network 
Organisation University of Bergen
Country Norway 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution This project established an interdisciplinary research network (I was the main organiser). I have established this research network with the aim to: - Publish an edited collection (Palgrave Pivot currently under review), and - Identify research gaps to develop a collaborative grant proposal.
Collaborator Contribution Some of the partners have submitted short chapters for the Palgrave Pivot edited collection.
Impact Edited collection titled Drones in Society, Palgrave Pivot (currently under review). Disciplines involved: Social sciences, art and photography, journalism, geography, digital media, visual communication, cultural studies, philosophy, and sociology.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Drones in Society Research Network 
Organisation University of Cordoba
Country Spain 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution This project established an interdisciplinary research network (I was the main organiser). I have established this research network with the aim to: - Publish an edited collection (Palgrave Pivot currently under review), and - Identify research gaps to develop a collaborative grant proposal.
Collaborator Contribution Some of the partners have submitted short chapters for the Palgrave Pivot edited collection.
Impact Edited collection titled Drones in Society, Palgrave Pivot (currently under review). Disciplines involved: Social sciences, art and photography, journalism, geography, digital media, visual communication, cultural studies, philosophy, and sociology.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Drones in Society Research Network 
Organisation University of Reading
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution This project established an interdisciplinary research network (I was the main organiser). I have established this research network with the aim to: - Publish an edited collection (Palgrave Pivot currently under review), and - Identify research gaps to develop a collaborative grant proposal.
Collaborator Contribution Some of the partners have submitted short chapters for the Palgrave Pivot edited collection.
Impact Edited collection titled Drones in Society, Palgrave Pivot (currently under review). Disciplines involved: Social sciences, art and photography, journalism, geography, digital media, visual communication, cultural studies, philosophy, and sociology.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Drones in Society Research Network 
Organisation University of Siegen
Country Germany 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution This project established an interdisciplinary research network (I was the main organiser). I have established this research network with the aim to: - Publish an edited collection (Palgrave Pivot currently under review), and - Identify research gaps to develop a collaborative grant proposal.
Collaborator Contribution Some of the partners have submitted short chapters for the Palgrave Pivot edited collection.
Impact Edited collection titled Drones in Society, Palgrave Pivot (currently under review). Disciplines involved: Social sciences, art and photography, journalism, geography, digital media, visual communication, cultural studies, philosophy, and sociology.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Drones in Society Research Network 
Organisation University of Western Australia
Country Australia 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution This project established an interdisciplinary research network (I was the main organiser). I have established this research network with the aim to: - Publish an edited collection (Palgrave Pivot currently under review), and - Identify research gaps to develop a collaborative grant proposal.
Collaborator Contribution Some of the partners have submitted short chapters for the Palgrave Pivot edited collection.
Impact Edited collection titled Drones in Society, Palgrave Pivot (currently under review). Disciplines involved: Social sciences, art and photography, journalism, geography, digital media, visual communication, cultural studies, philosophy, and sociology.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Drones in Society Research Network 
Organisation University of York
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution This project established an interdisciplinary research network (I was the main organiser). I have established this research network with the aim to: - Publish an edited collection (Palgrave Pivot currently under review), and - Identify research gaps to develop a collaborative grant proposal.
Collaborator Contribution Some of the partners have submitted short chapters for the Palgrave Pivot edited collection.
Impact Edited collection titled Drones in Society, Palgrave Pivot (currently under review). Disciplines involved: Social sciences, art and photography, journalism, geography, digital media, visual communication, cultural studies, philosophy, and sociology.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Drone visuals exhibition - Views from the Blue: A Glimpse into Drone Photography (offline) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact From the 12th to the 19th of September 2022, the Sheffield Winter Garden hosted the drone visuals exhibition titled 'Views from the Blue' (which inspired the title of this book). Due to covid, it was first launched online as part of the 'Creative Reactions' Pint of Science in May 2021. Then, fortunately, covid restrictions were released and the exhibition could be displayed in a public space. The exhibition was organised around ten themes (plus the image in the poster): 360-degree vision, access to inaccessible places, defamiliarising the familiar (top-down view), shadow play, verticality (birds-eye view), extreme close-ups, dronies, the power of weather, animal interactions and 'classic' landscapes. All the drone images showcased were produced by civil users. This choice was intended to encourage members of the public to get close to drone visuals and to know more about the artistic and creative opportunities of these new technologies. To know more about these novel visuals, this section offers an in-depth semiotic analysis of the meanings and aesthetic characteristics discussing new perspectives, shapes, and patterns. Using one visual example per each theme illustrates the predominant content and how they are communicated. Through this critical analysis, this section wants to show the potential of drones in providing visions never experienced before. This knowledge contributes to our understanding of the world and how our visual capabilities are changing.

a drone visuals exhibition with a series of discussions in a public venue in Sheffield city centre. This initiative
will serve to both collect data from the public and to achieve impact. The discussions will provide information about the
research project, drone technology, and it will explain the purpose of the exhibition. In addition, the exhibition will provide
visual examples. People from the public are very likely to experience drone visual content on a daily basis (such as news
reports, documentaries, and YouTube videos) and this exhibition will be informative in promoting knowledge of this growing
technological phenomenon and its creative potential. This exhibition aims to raise awareness about this new technological
development and its potential.

Some of the research described in this application will be carried out in collaboration with
drone users interviewed for my pilot study, as some of the visual content they produce will
be shown at the drone visuals exhibition. This public exhibition (to be curated by Alison
Morton, senior exhibition curator at Museums Sheffield) will be shown in the Winter Garden,
a venue in Sheffield city centre. This will help to maximise the number of people attending
the exhibition. The exhibition will host a series of discussions that will provide the public
information related to the research project and drone technology. This will enhance the
attendees' experience of the exhibition. Attendees will be invited to observe the drone
visuals and answer a list of questions, which will ask people about their views on drone
visuals, how they perceive them, and whether and how they think they have an impact in
society. This exhibition is both part of the fieldwork (as it will be used to collect data from
members of the public) and part of the impact activities. Impact will be achieved by raising
awareness of the visual potential afforded by drone technology. This is important because
most people are exposed to drone visuals without having background knowledge about the
technology itself.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Drone visuals exhibition - Views from the Blue: A Glimpse into Drone Photography (online) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact This online drone visuals exhibition was first launched as part of the 'Creative Reactions' Pint of Science in May 2021. The exhibition was organised around ten themes (plus the image in the poster): 360-degree vision, access to inaccessible places, defamiliarising the familiar (top-down view), shadow play, verticality (birds-eye view), extreme close-ups, dronies, the power of weather, animal interactions and 'classic' landscapes. All the drone images showcased were produced by civil users. This choice was intended to encourage members of the public to get close to drone visuals and to know more about the artistic and creative opportunities of these new technologies.

This online exhibition was accompanied by an online survey that collected 24 responses. This survey wanted to collect people's perspectives on drone visuals and their impact on members of the general public. These data are used in the in solo authored monograph I am working on (which is the main output of this Fellowship).
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020,2022
URL https://pintofscience.co.uk/more/blog/views-from-the-blue-a-glimpse-into-drone-photography/
 
Description Research project website 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact n/a
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021,2022,2023
URL https://visualsociety.net/current-research/
 
Description online group discussions 
Form Of Engagement Activity Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Online participant observation was conducted on drone users and how their visuals circulate online. Second, a
survey was conducted within a public exhibition to collect public perceptions of drone visuals. Third, qualitative content
analysis on drone visuals was conducted to explore their aesthetic characteristics and meanings.

-Online group discussions about developments in drone technology, including their potential with respect to visual material
and their impact in our visual cultures. These discussions took place with drone amateur fliers on the most used drone
platforms, which include online communities, forums and clubs. Through these discussions impact was achieved raising
awareness about the visual potential as well as challenges of using drone technologies.

3. Online group discussions with drone amateur fliers
I participated in conversations about developments in drone technology, in its potentials,
challenges, and impact in visual culture. These conversations took place on the most
well-known drone platforms (online communities, forums and clubs such as DIYdrones.com,
Dronestagram, Greyarrow.ws and similar) to explore ways in which my research can feed
into contemporary discussions around drones' new creative practices. I was already part of
these communities as I used these platforms for the fieldwork of my pilot study. These
online group discussions served to raise awareness about visual potentials (as well as
challenges) in using drone technologies. The online group discussions were divided per
theme (e.g. creative drones, public's perspectives on drone visuals). I opened the
discussions with a brief summary of my research findings followed questions to invite the
group members to contribute with their thoughts and experiences. These discussions
encouraged interested members to reflect on their usage and creative approaches. The
rationale for the online group discussions is that online platforms have the capacity to
maximise the impact outreach. These online communities, forums and drone clubs gather a
wide range of people interested in improving their practices, sharing their experiences and
establishing new networks, making them an ideal venue to reach a wide range of drone
enthusiasts.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021,2022,2023