As half an English teacher, I have issues with this. When talking about day-to-day life and sending pictures to answer texts, that's fine, but we cannot communicate solely on the use of images alone. Using only images could lead to many miscommunications and misunderstandings. "A picture is worth a thousand words", which means that a picture can say a thousand different things. Even social network sites that focus entirely on images, like SnapChat and Instagram allow users to attach captions to their images. We don't communicate in a world solely based on images. Often times, we have something to say about the image or feel we need to offer clarification. Though snapping and posting an image might be easier, words will never be obsolete.
New Age Communication
I have the same issues that you do with this new digital communication takeover (I am also an English major). I really like how you explained your point using "a picture is worth a thousand words". I think you really addressed the issue with this type of communication.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. Even though you are sending a picture there is usually always some type of communicating with it. Two people could look at the same picture and think two completely different ideas about what it is meaning. We need to communicate with one another. Using social media is a way to do it, but we can't forget what else we have as well. That image is great for your quote.
ReplyDeleteI love that you brought up the fact that the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words" has not only good but also bad connotations in the fact that it is up to interpretation and can be misleading and cause miscommunications.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like about the visual metaphor is that they only overlap social media platforms for a few things. This shows how we may be able to communicate with a person through one outlet and not another.
Believe it or not written words were once obsolete. The history of communication dates back to prehistory, with significant changes in communication technologies (media and appropriate inscription tools) evolving in tandem with shifts in political and economic systems, and by extension, systems of power.[Communication can range from very subtle processes of exchange, to full conversations and mass communication. Human communication was revolutionized with speech approximately 500,000 years ago Symbols were developed about 30,000 years ago, and writing about 5000 years ago. Writing is actually is a relatively new phenomenon in the course of human history.
ReplyDeleteI actually agree with your quote, although I don’t think it just applies to the “cutting-edge” crowd. As children, before we even learned to read or write, we communicated with drawings. I have students now on IEPs, who sketch out their weekly vocabulary words instead of defining them or using them in sentences. Using images and pictures to communicate isn’t a new concept. It’s just a lot more accessible and convenient now.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that we cannot solely communicate on sending pictures and images alone. I also used the quote “a picture is worth a thousand words” in my post, and agree that an image can be interpreted in many different ways. I also like your ending sentence “Though snapping and posting an image might be easier, words will never be obsolete.” I agree 100 percent! Sometimes it is easier to send a picture but we will always use words to communicate.
I like the visual metaphor you chose, although I didn’t recognize some of the social media logos. I like that at the top it says “A conversation…” and then the image has no other words. It shows the many different ways people communicate with one another through social media.
I agree with your blog post here because I feel like pictures cannot just take the place of words entirely. At least I hope not... I prefer to text or talk on the phone and do not have snap chat. I find it extremely annoying to continuously snap pictures instead of just talk.
ReplyDeleteYour metaphor was great. The two people, are far away and I did not see a phone (as in voice talking) in the bubbles. Its all social media of some sort.