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Visual Culture: Storytelling for the Modern Age?
Recently, I travelled to the Aran Islands.
No big deal I hear you say. And you’re right. But along with inspiring my wander-lust (and day-dreams of retiring to an idyllic Western outpost), it prompted me to think about today’s visual culture.
As a long-term magazine fan, I’ve lusted after beautiful imagery for years now. And while I aim to switch off my social media feeds on recent travels, I still find myself contemplating the perfect angle for a snap-shot or the ideal filter to bring out nature’s already gorgeous hues.
We’ve all heard the phrase — a picture is worth a thousand words — and in today’s image-saturated environment, it certainly rings true.
For along with feeding social media platforms across the globe, images have become an instant means of communicating (no more evident than in the very topical 10-year-challenge.) And one that instantly delivers a message. After all, our brains are designed to process images 60,000 times faster than text.
Consider Instagram. A primarily visual platform — now complete with vertical video (IGTV) and first-person video content (Stories) — its popularity as a platform for visual storytelling has soared.
Head on a slick holiday? Better get that Instagram post up. Try a tough new workout…
