Stock photography is often dismissed as generic or formulaic, yet its influence reaches far beyond convenience. In her new book, Stock Photo (2026), writer and scholar Simona Supekar examines how everyday image libraries help shape visual culture, identity, and the way people are represented online.
Published in Bloomsbury's Object Lessons series, the book looks at how stock images have long reinforced familiar racial and social patterns. Supekar shows that the same image systems now also feed AI-generated visuals, making the question of representation even more relevant in the digital era.
Drawing on both research and personal experience, Supekar reflects on her former work keywording stock images and on the strange afterlife of those pictures across websites and search platforms. Her analysis connects image archives with broader ideas about online identity, digital stereotypes, and the quiet power of visual repetition.
By tracing how stock imagery influences what audiences see and expect, the book offers a timely look at the future of visual media. It suggests that more inclusive image systems could help create a richer and more accurate digital culture.
