Re-viewing Visual Literacy in the Bain d'Images Era by Maria D. Avgerinou is about the idea of visual culture or "Bain d' Images" which is also known in the text as Image Bath. This text highlights the idea of people being surrounded by images and how those images affect one's self. This can be done by shaping people's beliefs about the world and even their values.
Something that stood out to me was the idea that most of the time the abundance of images we see daily goes unnoticed by the user. Even though most people nowadays are fully immersed in these images, the majority of them are oblivious to how much these images influence them. I believe in a world where social media, commercials, and entertainment are so present there is such little emphasis on educating students and adults on how to engage with them critically.
This idea is furthered by Felten in the text. Felten States, “Living in an image rich world…does not mean students (or faculty and administrators) naturally possess sophisticated visual literacy skills, just as continually listening to an iPod does not teach a person to critically analyze or create music” (2008, p. 60). This quote stood out to me because music is something I cherish in life. Although I listen to music majority of my day, I wouldn't consider myself a musician. It's the same concept, being surrounded by images doesn't make me or anyone visually literate. In today's society, we accept what we see without considering how it affects our views, values, or self-perception, which can be problematic.
Overarching, this work by Maria D. Avgerinou to me emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about how images influence how we see the world. Learning to navigate this new visual world with awareness and intention is the essence of developing visual literacy.
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