There is so much more to a picture than what first meets the
eye. Pictures are all around us; they are everywhere we look. Ads have consumed
our society. From billboards to magazines to newspapers, its actually a
challenge to avoid ads everyday. And the interesting thing about ads is that
they are characterized more by pictures than by words. A typical ad has a few
words to get at the main point, but many ads have no words at all. Those ads
are simply a picture with a meaning, and that is visual rhetoric.
Without even realizing it, we look at millions of pictures
that are telling us something, they are sending us subliminal messages. Words aren’t
needed for ads like these, just pictures.
This picture of a baby covered in advertisements is an
example of visual rhetoric. No words are needed to get the message across, it
tells a story on its own. This picture simply saying that ads have consumed our
lives so much that even babies at a very young age are surrounded by advertisements
everywhere they look. This goes right along with what I’m talking about: ads
are everywhere. It is simply a part of our culture to constantly try to “sell
sell sell,” whether it be an actually object for sale or an idea.
What do you think about advertising in American culture? Is
it all-consuming or simply a way of moving forward?