Saturation

Written By Michael Black

Consumption of Images in Social Media

With the dependency towards technology and social media, we have become accustomed to creating images and devoting countless hours consuming the creations of others. Specifically, with the presence of social media, we have become more saturated with images than ever before. A significant portion of our brain is centered on visual processing. This allows us as humans to process images at an incredible rate (Why Images Are So Important to Social Media, 2017). Ultimately, the use of images have become an optimal way to communicate in a world of short attention.

Captivating Ones Interest in Images

The space of social media is vast and large. This means that proper use of images can be a great way to harness ones attention. It must be noted, that the human mind is more responsive to both images and color in comparison to other types of mediums. This means the use of images can create irresistible connections with those interacting with them. More specifically, these viewpoints are reflected in Jacob Silverman’s book on social media. In Chapter 4, he states that “social media depends on … acts of recognition … the thing itself … if it is interesting or important, we claim a tenuous connection to it”. Silverman also argues that “experiences become not about … the fulfillment of those we’re with … they become about ego, demonstrating status”(2015, p.62). Ultimately, this serves as a strong message to teens navigating the social media landscape in terms of awareness. Silverman notes that adolescents may be oblivious to the fact that activity on social media yields profitable benefits to corporations in the form of information. This obsession with one’s self is reflected throughout the article “Social impact in social media”. A study is conducted to reflect how images create characterizations for users. The topic of selfies provided big revelations towards the aspects of ones ego, status and recognition. Specifically, one statistic where Google reported that over 24 billion selfies were uploaded in 2015.

 Moving forward, having variety and diversity of thought can be pivotal in harnessing the attention of individuals. This concept ties into the features section reflected in module 8. This is where the usage of memes, gifs, and selfies has become more popularized in these modern times. The increased dependency towards these features can be attributed to the changing dynamics of the social media landscape. Specifically, adolescents are constantly looking for interactive and creative ways to stay connected and be entertained. In addition, there is a constant need for new information and having the ability to acquire it in quick succession. Without catering to that tendency there is a risk of losing an audience to boredom and repetition.

Image Credit: SteveCutts.com

The photo above acts a representation of our society and are practices related to image consumption.

References

Silverman, J. (2016). Terms of service: social media and the price of constant connection. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.

Pulido, C. M., Redondo-Sama, G., Sordé-Martí, T., & Flecha, R. (2018). Social impact in social media: A new method to evaluate the social impact of research. Plos One, 13(8). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203117

Why Images are so important to Social Media. (2017, March 29). Retrieved from https://medium.com/@onlinelogomaker/why-images-are-so-important-to-social-media-b9411dd678a8