Research Findings By Gender

Female Statistics

Of the females asked -

90% are on social networking sites

70% ‘share’ photos on the Internet

80% said that they don’t like being in front of the camera

60% don’t mind being looked at

Around half think that their perception of cameras has changed throughout their lives

Male Statistics

Of the males asked –

60% are on social networking sites

50% ‘share’ photos on the Internet

30% said they don’t like being in front of the camera

70% don’t mind being looked at

Again, around half think that their perception of cameras has changed throughout their lives

Therefore, while general, everyday confidence is approximately equal between the genders, camera confidence is more easily found in males. However, females seem more likely to share their photos on the internet (the majority of which are on facebook).

Questionnaire Results

These are the first results of the questionnaire I made about confidence in front of cameras.

Shown in another slide for the presentation, this graph shows the difference between confidence in ages and in genders, as taken from the first wave of questionnaires. 

Plans For The Questionnaire

Using the information gathered from the questionnaire, I hope to answer the following questions - 

·      Who is more confident in front of the camera? Men or women?

·      Which age group is more affected by camera shyness? Do we loose/gain camera confidence with age?

·      Are older people less likely to use modern technology?

·      Does the age/gender of a person change their attitude towards sharing photos?

·      Do people think that camera shyness is a form of modesty? For example, do they say that they are camera shy and then post pictures of themselves on the Internet etc.?

·      Is it a social phobia? Do people who are not confident in front of people always get afraid in front of cameras too?

·      Does situation/company make a difference to the attitude?

Therefore, I must endeavour to ask a wide range of people of different genders, age groups, situations etc. 

I must also find an appropriate method of calculating the results and putting them to use. 

Questionnaire About Confidence In Front Of Cameras

This is the first draft of the questionnaire I plan to gain my primary information from...

               Please circle ONE answer for each question.

1.             Gender

Male                        Female

2.             Age
-10               11-16                 17-21                    22-25              25-30                 

31-40                        41-50                        51-60                        60+

3.             How confident do you think you are, as a person?

Very confident                        Quite confident                        Confident                       

Not confident                          Nervous                                    Very nervous

4.             Are you on social networking sites?

                              Yes                        No

 

5.             If so, which ones?

____________________________________________________

6.             Do you share photographs/videos of yourself on the Internet?

Yes                        No                        No, but others share my photos/videos

7.             Do you like being in front of a camera?

Yes                        No

8.             Do you mind being looked at?

Yes                        No

9.             When are you most comfortable in front of the camera?

With family           With friends            Alone             No preference

10.          Do you think your attitude toward cameras has changed through your life?

Yes                        No

Research Presentation

Today I completed my PowerPoint presentation on the research for my documentary – ‘Am I Camera Shy?’

With the hope of presenting it tomorrow, I have included the slides Title, Introduction, BBC Three and the Target Audience, Proposal, Documentary Modes, Issues, Subject Research and Conclusion.

With these slides, the idea is to illustrate the research that I have done, both primary and secondary, into the actual subject of the documentary and into the target audience.

Using simple bullet points as reminders, I think I have kept the slides clear and easily understandable; also sticking to a single theme colour of a pastel purple and the purity of white font. With this, I hope that it is easy to read, while still pleasant to look at.

Using the font Arial and some interesting, yet subdued images, I think that I’ve suited the presentation to the target audience and the upcoming documentary (as shown below).

Hopefully I’ve done what I was supposed to do!

Research Into Camera Shyness

In trying to understand camera shyness, I have scoured the internet for possible reasons to fear being in front of the camera. While some people are self-conscious in front of the camera, some are paralytically scared.

Here is a list of reasons that people can be wary of cameras, compiled through both primary and secondary research sources;

1. Low self-esteem/self-worth
2. A lack of confidence
3. Fear of new technology
4. Belief that they are 'not photogenic'
5. The thought of having an image of yourself out in the world, out of your control
6. Some tribes believe that taking a picture of someone 'steals their soul'
7. 'The camera has the power to make me look bad' thoughts
8. “A picture paints a thousand words” and some people are scared of what will be read
9. Some fear cameras because they can look like / be aimed like / be triggered like a weapon
10. Commonly, people are scared because we don't actually look or sound how we think we look or sound.

Therefore, I have compiled a list of the possible phobias associated with camera shyness;

1. Catagelophobia – the fear of being embarrassed or ridiculed
2. Gelotophobia – the fear of being laughed at
3. Glossophobia – the fear of public speaking
4. Sociophobia – the fear of people / social situations
5. Scopophobia – the fear of being looked at / stared at
6. Technophobia – the fear of technology

However, there is no actual Latin term for the fear of cameras themselves – which, maybe, should be a feature in the documentary, as evidence that this fear is not commonly understood.

((Information gathered from Wikipedia and phobialist.com))