Life-Lines Throughout the United States
Photographer: Eric Kunsman
Exhibit Title: Life-Lines Throughout the United States
Location: United States
This work is a companion series to my project, "Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics in Rochester, NY." It demonstrates how communities all over the United States are encountering similar challenges. Many individuals across the country are being left behind by technology, whether for communication or internet access. In our society, having access to these tools is essential for accessing support services and securing employment. Without such access, individuals risk being left behind, widening the gap between the lower and middle classes.
Outdated technology can also be used to unfairly label individuals or areas of a community as social markers without a complete understanding of the situation. People I've met who still rely on payphones have expressed frustration at being judged when using them. They explained that they typically use payphones to connect with their families for check-ins or support.
Video Credit: Hill + Valley Creative
This body of work is a companion series to my project, “Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics in Rochester, NY,” to demonstrate how communities throughout the United States are facing the same dire situation. Throughout the United States, many individuals are being left behind by technology, whether that is for communication or Internet access. Our society has become one in which you must have access to these tools to be provided support services and a job, or you are left behind, widening the gap between the lower and middle classes.
Often, this outdated technology is also used to label individuals or areas of a community where they can be found as social markers without further knowledge. The individuals I have met who still rely on payphones have stated, "I hate how people look at me like I am doing something wrong when I am using the payphone.” Those individuals have explained that they are typically calling their families to check in or for support.
Unlike my series in Rochester, I have decided to include individuals in the frame for this series because now I am including the story of the individuals in association with the payphones or simply the location.
My work aims to raise the following questions: how do we ensure access to basic needs for a sustainable community, such as communication, shelter, and food, without labeling those relying on support?
Why has the United Kingdom decided to save their iconic payphones, convert them to digital ones, and install other emergency necessities such as defibrillators in the red booths?
Once the payphones are gone, how will we communicate in a natural disaster similar to Hurricane Katrina & Sandy?
This visual sociology project led me to discuss the problem and feel I needed to be a part of the solution, not exploit a social issue. I have formed a group of collaborators that are now bringing free VoIP phones to those in most need in the Greater Rochester, NY region. Our phones are called Good Phones and are repurposed payphones that operate with VoIP, and users can make free calls to all of North America, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Our phones also allow a user to set up a voicemail box as an extension of our main number, and individuals can retrieve their voicemails from any of our phones.
585.281.7442
eric@erickunsman.com
www.erickunsman.com
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