Reading blog #1

I think that this reading was very interesting because it’s true and accurate. Our representation of the world is changing because of the amount of exposure we have to images on a screen rather than real-life. It is hard to comprehend that we see most of our life through the screens than what is behind it. I think that although this has been a problem for our generation, the generations that are now growing up are in more trouble because they are not adapting to technology the way we were able to, because it is no longer a new thing anymore. An example of this is that if a baby is screaming in a restaurant, I will see parents put a phone in front of them immediately to distract the baby from crying. This ties to when the article used the term “visual literacy” and how we need to rethink how we teach and learn visual literacy. It emphasizes the importance of how we need to understand and use images effectively. Not only that, but also understand how big of a role images play in this digital age. Many problems can come from not fully understanding the use of images on the internet in this society. A few examples that come to mind would be misinformation, especially when it comes to deepfakes. It is frightening that people on the internet can copy and paste anyones face on their body and it is hard to tell if it is real or not, which can lead to a lot of problems if used inappropriately. Another example would be desensitization to violence. Monetization is difficult when there are thousands of pictures and videos being posted every second of every day, and graphic images have definitely been circulated long before they get caught and taken down. This is, and can become, an even larger problem for individuals who are not prepared to see such content.