Corbis has released The Human Touch, a creative trends report that highlights a new balance between the convenience of technology and personal interaction. The trend builds on the techno-backlash observed by researchers for several years.
In 2008, Corbis itself heralded a return to low-tech living. At the time, the company said more and more people were deliberately disconnecting from technology and reconnecting with themselves and their surroundings.
Yet instead of regression, the public mentality has matured. While people increasingly communicate through text messages, email, social networking sites and other Internet-based venues, they seek offline interactions that are more personal, meaningful and intrinsically human. According to the company, this fuels image-buyer demand for images that capture the essence of low-tech living: people spending quality time with others, engaging in creative pursuits together and embracing the “the human touch.”
Perhaps even more interesting is the fact that the Bill Gates-owned company has reconsidered its decision to abandon the report offering. When it redesigned its Web site last fall, Corbis phased out its creative trends reports, stating that images have always been more popular with its customer base than the copy in the PDFs. Though the company continued to release the findings of its creative research, these have taken the form of image galleries and slide shows illustrating the trend. Touch marks a return to the old format.
Another relatively new information-sharing vehicle is the Corbis blog. Live since last May, the blog promises to bring “noteworthy stories about collections and contributors, as well as industry commentary, current events updates, archives, and retrospectives.” Among recent posts is a profile of photographers who contributed to the Human Touch collection of images inspired by the latest research findings.