For over a century we’ve heard the old adage, a picture is worth a 1,000 words. But we’ve all known it was true well before that.
Since the dawn of cave drawings through The Renaissance all the way to the 8 mega-pixel iphone in your back pocket, we humans love the visual reference.
We use visual clues everyday. The forlorn face of a friend or a toothy toddler’s smile conveys a message in nano-moments.
A photo of a sand ladened tropical beach immediately relaxes me whereas photos of 9-11 instantly transport me back to that day and all the fear, anger and utter desolation.
So, the adage is true. 100%.
However, as a lover of the language and purveyor of published prose, I am here to advocate for the written word (and apparently single-handedly bring back the art of alliteration).
We still love words. We’re not a totally visual society... yet.
I postulate to you that it is Instagram’s ability to balance the optics with the supportive message that has catapulted it over Twitter’s restrictive 140 character limitations. While the photos take precedence, their significance is further underscored by adjectives, explanations and hashtags.
Perhaps now more than ever, we desire communication and information. Visual and verbal. Sure in brevity but also in accuracy and convenience.
So, while a picture is STILL worth a 1,000 words... we crave the written word. Picture-less books still fly off the shelves every year by the millions. The publishing industry yields BILLIONS of dollars in revenue annually.
Don’t get me wrong, I will continue to Tweet, if for no other reason than I like the challenge of sounding informed and somewhat brilliant within 140 characters but I must confess that I feel the pull of the Instagram platform.
As a Graphic Designer and Writer, I think it will be a cozy fit for me. I envision my creative soul nestled nicely between the vibrant photos and the pithy euphemisms.
We humans long for communication. So, keep Tweeting, posting, tagging, blogging, reading and expressing. #encourage #uplift #motivate