The New York Times' James Estrin ponders on what it means to live in an era where everyone has some form of camera -- be an iPhone or a pricey Leika -- and how this sharing on social media impacts "serious photography."

Because of the iPhone and social media, the very meaning of what photographs are and how they function has changed radically in the last four years.

A photograph is no longer predominantly a way of keeping a treasured family memory or even of learning about places or people that we would otherwise not encounter. It is now mainly a chintzy currency in a social interaction and a way of gazing even further into one's navel.

This is a fundamental change that must be having a powerful effect on how people view the kind of images exhibited this week in Perpignan.