Breakout of the Visual

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There is this pretty interesting prezi ( I've never really heard of it but it can do amazing things) about the emergence of visualization of media and how it aids to textual argumentation. The main point of interest that gets the message across is this video on the distortion of beauty. I must say, that really is the strong point because it actually applies to how we view billboards and models today. How many of us become disillusioned by images? Visual text refashions how printed and oral text is presented.

If you never heard of a prezi, the layout is pretty simple. You chose the background and special effects. You type in text that circles around the screen, providing a lively encounter with the information presented. You can add images and videos to help support what you want to convey. Otherwise the meaning can easily be lost among in an overwhelming sea of communication, depending on how complex the subject matter is.

" Words should be seen and not just read". What if someone can't read? How can they still learn when they cannot read the information? Although images can be misconstrued, some images provide a great deal of information without printing a single word. In the prezi, there was a point made about a shoe advertisement and how without reading the article, you can tell that the realization image of the older woman surrounded by crazy shoes implies how there are so many different shoes out there that there is always a right shoe for you. Or something along the lines of that. You can get the main idea from images. Sometimes words cannot provide the right image for you. When explaining a complicated play in sports, some people do not fully understand the context until it is put into visual action. Diagrams and charts can be just as complicated to understand as text. Sometimes there just needs to be a simple, clear cut way of viewing things in life.

Post Script: Questions Unanswered

Yes, everything can leave out something we want to know.

For instance, I did not quite understand the metaphor image of the pie. Therefore...

1. Can you use other instances of visual metaphors? Can you explain where they fit in society? I would like to know about that more.

2. What exactly is Ekphrasis, according to Bolter?

3. Where do MUDS fit in?

4. Many of the texts use state a fact. Can you provide images to go with those facts so we can see what it means with an example?

5. Out of curiosity, how many ways can text be depicted in general?

6. This revolution, or remediation, of the printed text has led to visual representations. Why has this become so? Is it from the trend of hieroglyphics? What makes communication in different forms so special nationwide? Is it merely for understanding each other's cultures or is there more to it? Why can't everyone just see everything in the same way?

These may be redundant questions, but these are my questions that I find missing in the prezi. Maybe the answers were there, but I didn't understand them. No judgments should be made at this time.

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