The Photo Is Live at Applifam: An Instagram Community Grapples With How Images Should Be Used

Applifam, a global Instagram community that edits and shares images daily, has grown steadily since its late-2011 founding. Since then, the group (led by founder Johan Du Toit) has grappled with ethical and legal ways to use images in a technological environment that makes image theft easy, a cultural "remix" environment that finds unauthorized uses natural, an artistic environment that values the symbolic statements of appropriation art, a legal environment that varies by country, and a socially collaborative environment that may not reward adherence to copyright standards. In June 2012, when Applifam took a stand about original work, a conversation began as to what that meant. It yielded a rare look at evolving standards regarding our common visual heritage.