After reading the article “Re-Viewing Visual Literacy in the “Bain d’ Images” Era”, written by Maria D. Avgerinou, I feel like I have a much better understanding of both the importance of visual literacy and how its necessity has changed through out time. One aspect discussed in the article that I found particularly interesting was the idea that simply consuming media does not make you visually literate. The example Avgerinou included stated “continually listening to an iPod does not teach a person to critically analyze or create music” (p.2). I think this metaphor proves true for visual literacy in that no matter how much one consumes, no amount will result in viewers learning to be visually literate. This is especially important considering the amount of images produced in the world each day. In her conclusion, Avgerinou points out how in the past, students only needed visual literacy training for the future, whereas now, that future is our present. With such a substantial increase in technology, the need for visual literacy will also increase. Another concept brought up in this article was ways the world mentality has changed in addition to visual literacy. On page 3, a list from Oblinger (2003), states that “typing is preferred to handwriting” and “there is zero tolerance for delay” among others, reinforcing Averginou’s previous argument about the increase of technology being a factor in the need for visual literacy training. These statements were phrased in such a way that implied a certain permanence, which impacted me as a reader. Reading this article has made me more aware of the magnitude of images I consume every single day, and it has made me want to be more intentional with my own media consumption.
