Lost In Visualization

COML 550 - Blog Post #2

Social Media as a known space for visual communication

Social media is perhaps the most widely used space where intercultural communication exists. And as a marketing and multimedia professional who spends a lot of time in the social media universe, I got to thinking about how intercultural communication is woven deeply and richly into the fabric of social media practices and engagement. This is also the easiest place to find examples of intercultural miscommunications, misinterpretations, and a lack of intercultural sensitivity and misappropriation.

For example, a white teen girl wore a traditional Chinese dress to her prom and faced national backlash for it after posting photos of the night to her social media accounts.

Figure 1 - (Windle, 2018)

There are layers of complexity that go into these types of controversial posts which, unfortunately, happen all the time. But such posts illustrate just how much cultural context influences what a piece of visual media- be it photo, illustration, or graphic - communicates and is mis/interpreted.

Brumberger says it best:

The treatment of the visual as a universal language, though less widely accepted than in the past, is still common. Two critical assumptions underlie this approach. First, that the ability to read images, sometimes known as visual literacy, is universal; and second, that the images, icons, colors, and other elements that comprise visual communication transcend cultural differences. (Brumberger, 2014, pg 91) 

Emoji's as a common form of visual communication

Emoji's are perhaps one of the most applicable, and simplest form of visual communication utilized today. And even in their simplicity, there are numerous examples of how certain of these emoticons have multiple meanings across different cultures.

Emoji's are also not free from culturally-derived controversy. While the first emoji's started somewhere in the 1990s, it was not until 2015 that skin tone options became available ​(Janse et al., 2022; Pardes, n.d.), showing that every aspect of a visual contributes to its meaning - even if that meaning is different to different people.

Additional contributors to consider when utilizing visual communication include the type, position, and quantity of images, typography, space and balance, and visual organization (Brumberger, 2014).
If numbers/data are involved, units of measurement, like currency, must also be taking into account.

Ikea as a known user of visual communication

My husband and I purchased a house in July and as part of some updates and a full kitchen renovation, we have been doing a lot of Ikea reading (and assembling) recently. There is always room for improvement to their current system - by adding something like-shape indicators to unassembled pieces and into the illustrations to more clearly show “which side is up” or which ends connect of certain corresponding pieces - but ultimately, I’ve been 100% successful in my ability assemble the pile of materials I’ve purchased into the item as it was advertised/displayed. I've also been satisfied with the quality and function of these pieces; I’d call that a win.

I don’t however, think that the Ikea approach is universally applicable. I am comfortable relying on rudimentary (and yes, often times comical) animated instructions for assembling furniture because if said furniture malfunctions or breaks due “user error” or instruction misinterpretation, I can simply administer some fixes (and likely some choice curse words to help diffuse the frustration), with no real long-term harm done. I wouldn’t even consider putting my faith in this type of visual instruction, however, if the stakes were at all higher.

References:
Brumberger. (2014). Toward a Framework For Intercultural visual communication. Connexions International Professional Communication Journal.

Janse, A. M., Jarenwattananon, P., & Khalid, A. (2022, February 9). Which skin color emoji should you use? The answer can be more complex than you think. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/02/09/1078977416/race-chat-emoji-skin-tone-colors

pakt agency. (2022, July 19). The language of emoji: Universal or cross-cultural? Pakt Agency Blog. https://medium.com/paktagency/the-language-of-emoji-universal-or-cross-cultural-795214f978ec

​Pardes, A. (n.d.). The Complete History of Emoji. Wired. Retrieved November 22, 2023, from https://www.wired.com/story/guide-emoji/

​Windle, L. (2018, April 30). High school teen blasted as ‘racist’ for wearing a Chinese dress to her prom...but others leap to her defence. The Sun. https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/6174185/american-student-accused-racist-chinese-dress-prom/