Reading Blog #1

Sep 5, 2024

2 min read

The article Re-viewing Visual Literacies in the Bain d'Images Era by Maria D. Avgerinou allows for a critical examination of visual literacy and how it should be taught within the context of an image-based society/culture. The article accurately describes the image-saturated environment we are in today, and because "this post-modern present has emerged, [it necessitates] new ways of interpretation...and understanding the world in purely linguistic terms is neither satisfactory nor adequate any longer" (Avgerinou 28). It addresses the complexities in today's media landscape and calls for a more refined understanding that goes beyond the basic interpretation skills to encompass the extensive ideological implications of visual media. This lines up with the idea that visual literacy should not only include acknowledging and decoding images but also understanding the context and complexities that shape visual messages. One takeaway that stuck with me is the role of visual literacy in encouraging critical thinking about how those images relate to or even challenge societal norms. This educational approach can allow kids and individuals to question and interpret images rather than consuming them with a passive lens. Having a skill like this can be useful in not only an educational environment but the real world around us and messages that are being sent on the daily through images rather than text. Because the world we live in today is no longer text based, the massive influx of images can be seen as overwhelming and intimidating. This can lead to people viewing images on the surface level because it can be daunting to interpret all of these visual messages at once. However, by incorporating visual literacy into the education systems, a new skill emerges for individuals that is

incredibly useful in a world where communication is based on images.