The relationship between architecture and its various mediums of representation, reproduction, and publicity is nothing new. Drawings, blueprints, and photographs published in books, magazines, and newspapers have historically been an integral part of the profession's trajectory. Over the last decade, with the rise of social media—particularly platforms centered on visual communication—architects have adopted these tools in myriad ways, incorporating them into their professional practice. Yet while these networks can produce and popularize content for diverse audiences, does architecture risk becoming a hostage to its own representation in this era of engagement?
In Privacy and Publicity: Modern Architecture as Mass Media, architect and historian Beatriz Colomina argues that there is a fundamental connection between modern architecture and mass media. She contends that architectural modernity is inherently linked to this relationship, particularly through the use of the era's emerging technologies. Books, newspapers, magazines, films, exhibitions, and advertisements generated and distributed a vast number of images—mainly photographs—of diverse buildings constructed during that period, serving as crucial tools for their popularization and dissemination. This ushered in a new form of communication for the profession; since then, architecture has evolved alongside advertising and other emerging media that have enabled its circulation.
