Under the Dome

Abstract

This article looks at the use of mobile phones to capture images of China’s smog. Seeking to move beyond the familiar stated benefits of circumscribing state censorship and supporting offline mobilization, it employs instead an interpretive framework that views digital capture as a process of cultural production. In doing so, it enables comparisons with other forms of visual production, situating it in relation to other modes of realism and questioning the very definition of environmental activism. It also enables a more nuanced analysis of the social and geographical biases that are reflected in the use of mobile phones when used for environmental engagement.