What is something you might feel strongly about? Politics, religion, family, cats over dogs, your choice. These positions, for or against, could easily be considered one side of a debate or argument. What happens when we take these positions into the digital realm and release them? Turner & Hicks (2017) state, "any text that we encounter-- fiction or nonfiction, print or digital-- is at some level presenting us with an argument" (p.6). Once we begin to consider almost every post or image is leading us toward a particular point of view, the digital world can become one huge argument. I believe the images we see in the digital world serve to manipulate, intentionally or unintentionally, our comprehension of the author's point of view.
View the video below, do the images support the ASPCA's argument for donations?
While some images contain text trying to invoke a particular point of view, it is the imagery connecting the reader to a particular point of view I find interesting. Turner & Hicks (2017) discuss the importance of digital imagery in social media by stating, "writers in these spaces do not think of them as arguments, image and video play key roles in making and supporting claims" (p.25). When an author uses imagery as evidence, the image may use an emotional connection to lend greater evidence to the author's point of view. Turner & Hicks (2017) discuss how writers may use images, "to marshal evidence, underscore claims, provide warrants, and acknowledge rebuttals" (p.24). An example of imagery as warrants could be shown in an animal shelter using images of dogs to convey the necessity of receiving donations. An image of a dog clearly having been neglected and mistreated, or an image of a young child receiving his or her first puppy from the shelter could be used as a warrant to communicate the claim of services the shelter provides. The shelter's argument of providing services is clear in either image, but which image will provide enough motivational evidence to the reader causing them to donate money. The power of imagery to motivate readers without specifically telling the reader an author's position is truly remarkable.
You might ask, what happens when social media marketers fully realize the power of imagery in social media? Li & Xie (2020) state, "The old idiom 'A picture is worth a thousand words' has become the new maxim among social media marketers" (p.1). Social media imagery can be used to manipulate the reader by promoting engagement. Li & Xie (2020) propose, "three ways through which image content exerts influence on engagement—mere presence, image characteristics, and image–text fit" (p.16). Studying social media accounts of corporations permitted an understanding of how a simple image could be improved to gain larger market exposure. Li & Xie (2020) state, "Our findings give many clues about what types of pictures increase the liking or sharing of a post depending on the social media platform they choose" (p.17). This information leads corporations to promote engagement by the reader by utilizing imagery in their social media accounts.
Given the ability of imagery to manipulate our engagement, why should we incorporate the discussion of imagery in an educational setting? It is abundantly clear imagery could be used to make a claim or used as evidence to enhance an author's point of view. Students learning "strategies unique to digital arguments" might better enable them to discern when digital imagery is leading to a particular point of view (Turner & Hicks, 2017, p.26). Educators can assist students in developing this observational skill by asking, "Why do you think the creator used this particular image" (Turner & Hicks. 2017, p.27)? When we as educators realize our students must eventually enter the real world, we must give them the tools to think for themselves, and part of this free-thinking is knowing when they are being manipulated by imagery in social media. So to answer the question, what's in an image? It depends on the point of view, yours or someone else's.
References
ASPCA. (2020, November 21). Give your Love, Change their Lives [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/eIf0vxjQeWk
Li, Y., & Xie, Y. (2020). Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? An Empirical Study of Image Content and Social Media Engagement. Journal of Marketing Research, 57(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243719881113
Turner, K.H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Teaching adolescents to read and write
digital texts: Argument in the real world. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
