Promoting Change with Image Acts

The poster above is a very famous one that most of has seen printed or on TV. You read the statement on the left then look at the Native American on the right and think for a moment what is trying to be conveyed. Then you realize that the Native American represents America before all the development and now he is looking at it realizing that it has become littered with pollution and he is sad. This is a good example of what Liza Bakewell wrote an essay on where she defined what she terms an image act. It is roughly defined as referring to activities involving images. Some images promote different behavior or reactions on a person. The photo above was widely publicized as a PSA on not to litter and it did catch my attention. Blackwell writes, “the perception of what images do, if they are perceived to do anything of import at all, is varied. The question is whether the deeds of images are good or bad, harmful or not.” (p. 25). It helped me change my behavior and understand that littering is bad, but I have no idea how the campaign as a whole helped the country.

A more subtle image with a smaller targeted audience are bumper stickers. Take a look at the bumper sticker above. You initially see a bunch of dots and maybe get closer to read what the fine print is under it which says, “if you can read this, you’re way too close”. This is an image that does promote change, but to only to drivers and requires you to break do what it does not want you to do to get the message. The dots represent Braille and for anyone to read Braille you need to touch it. For you to touch it you obviously need be very close to it. So it is the intent of the bumper sticker to keep you farther back, but it backfires and makes you get closer. Once you get the message, you normally will adjust your behavior by not following too close. The sticker did the job in telling you what it wants and you will remember it since it was so unique, but to get the message you needed to do the opposite of what it says. So in this case in comparison to what Blackwell states “the deeds of the image is good” (p. 25), but could be harmful when trying to get the message.

These are two very different examples with a very different audience and audience size, but both do convey an image that gets one to think and react based on what they see.