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P Let’s begin by looking at an old saying that all of us use but never really think about. A picture is worth a thousand words. Everyone knows that one, right? Well, what does it really mean? We usually use the saying in a positive way to mean that a picture can create an instant reaction. It can tell us a lot in no time at all. But can this saying have a negative meaning as well? It’s an interesting question, I hope, and it’s a good way to start to look at the main theme of today’s lecture: visual narratives.
S1 Do you mean telling stories with pictures? I know about that from when I was a little kid. Storybooks for kids are full of just pictures, because kids can’t read yet.
P Good. Yes, we are talking about telling stories with pictures. And, you’re also right that it’s a popular technique for children’s books. But it’s also used in a number of other ways. Comic books are an example. If you’re looking for something a bit older, you can think of caveman drawings. They can be something as small as a quick stick man to something like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Now, let’s get back to where we started before we got sidetracked. A picture is worth a thousand words. How does this actually work? It’s related to how your brain functions. People actually think in pictures, not words. When you read a book, your imagination sort of translates the words into pictures, which your brain then uses to think with. The translation part takes time and creates a delay. When you see a picture though, your brain is able to make use of the visual information instantly, which creates that feeling that a lot of thoughts are happening right away. If we, ah, look at it this way, using pictures to tell stories is a fast and effective method.
But there can be problems as well. To begin with, artists who use pictures to communicate information employ something called visual stereotypes. Let me give you something more concrete to think about. When you see a picture of a man with thick glasses, funny white hair and a white lab coat, what do you think of? It’s a scientist, right? Now, you could look all over campus and never see a real scientist that fits that description, but in a picture you know right away what you are looking at. A visual stereotype communicates information instantly based on cultural ideas about a certain type of person or job. The reality is most likely different, but the stereotype exists. I’m sure that you could close your eyes and picture the stereotypes for teachers and police officers and criminals. And cavemen could do the same thing, right? They knew what a hunter looked like. Can you think of why this might be a problem?
S2 The stereotype only really works with people who understand the culture of the artist. Maybe a scientist, a stereotype of one, anyway, is different in each culture. A picture is worth a thousand words, but they might be totally different ones than the artist intended.
P Right. A picture is only worth the right thousand words to the people who share the same background as the artist. There are some visual stereotypes that are universal, that most people on the planet would understand, but there are not many of them. In the end, visual narratives can be the fastest way to confuse the largest number of people.
P When you see a picture of a man with thick glasses, funny white hair and a white lab coat, what do you think of? It’s a scientist, right? Now, you could look all over campus and never see a real scientist that fits that description, but in a picture you know right away what you are looking at.
Why does the professor say this:
P When you see a picture of a man with thick glasses, funny white hair and a white lab coat, what do you think of? It’s a scientist, right?