Often in
study of
media, one comes
across the use of
visual aids instead of
print or
argument to
sway people to the
desired
opinion. At a
glance, one might think that a
picture could be
considered a
valid argument, and that it's just the
presentation of a
large amount of
information through a
different
medium.
While the
photograph is an
information
conduit, the
crucial problem with picture-as-
fact, is that in the
vast majority of
cases, the picture is presented
stand alone,
without any context.
Without
con-
text, no argument is
present. An argument is an
abstracted
relation of many
pieces of information, and can only be
expressed
relatively. In most of these cases, the
photo assumes an
absolute stance.
the only value is the cheap shock value, which can be effective, but is without any logical basis.