Our Need for Quick Information
Before social media, before television, before radio, before even photography was invented there was the humble poster. This was the primary means of disseminating information on a wide scale to the general public.
Often, posters need to have maximum visual impact for people walking, biking, driving, or taking public transit. This is discussed in Drawing For Illustration by Martin Salisbury.
I think the modern-day equivalent of a poster is perhaps an Instagram “post”. Here I have compared the underlying logic of posters and “posts”:
Comparing Posters & Social Media Posts
Similarities:
- Placed by a single person, or organization
- Meant to be viewed by the general public, or a certain subset of the public
- Information on it is meant to be consumed quickly- often the people absorbing this information are in a hurry
- Typically colorful and eye-catching
- Promoting something or someone, even if not doing so outright
How Images Lean Toward or Away From Truth
A few weeks ago, I talked about how Roy Lichtenstein used exaggeration in his art to emphasize truth. He did this by emphasizing traditionally feminine characteristics in women and traditionally masculine characteristics in men to make fun of these outdated stereotypes.
But what about the opposite? What happens when images are used to emphasize falsehood and fear?
In Drawing For Illustration, author Martin Salisbury talks about the role that illustration has played for political means, ie. propaganda. Illustration was even more relevant before photography became widely available because those images were often the only visual source of information unrelated groups had of one another. There is a lot of power in art.
Algorithms Like Extremes
Images still hold immense power. They can shape the way we view others.
We think in the modern world we have equal access to all the information out there. But we don’t. Algorithms favor extremes because that type of content typically results in more engagement. Outrageous behavior, content that incites extreme emotions such as moral outrage, or sexualization of oneself or others will typically get more views than just doing “normal” things. These are the types of things that will be seen by more eyes.
Therefore, there is incentive to exaggerate certain parts of your personality or body (or those of others) because that will boost your views. People online can then turn into a caricature of themselves. It can be a type of propaganda.
I’m not judging or blaming anyone for participating in this messed-up social system. I think before I can point fingers at anyone I must first comprehend this system myself, which I don’t.
Yet, this certainly isn’t the first time a system has encouraged its participants to exaggerate, simplify, or perform in order to be seen. One negative aspect of this type of social system, though, is that people and groups seem more extreme than they are because the extreme ones are who the system/ algorithm favours.
Messy Bun Book Lover
(Originally posted on May 13, 2025)
Other posts involving Drawing for Illustration are:
- Book #12- Reflections on “Drawing For Illustration”
- When Curiosity Chooses the Book: Reading Drawing For Illustration
- A New Way of Looking at the World
- The Blessing and Curse of Influence
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