Violent and disturbing images are nothing new when it comes to media. You’ll see images throughout the day of things that are hard to look at. But why do we look at them? It’s like a car crash. You don’t want to look, but you are curious. You have the need to find out more. Why did it happen? How did it happen? What can I do to help? So you look at the images, analyze them, and you either blow them off or decide to act.
Wars, natural disasters, emergencies are all examples of when violent images may be presented. For example, during a war, news reports will sometimes be reporting from active war zones. The reporter and videographer have to get their story. Bullets will be flying by, hitting whoever or whatever crosses its path. The video camera catches all of that. Every bullet, every explosion, every falling body, and every scream is being recorded and transmitted. Those images are sent to your home. This photojournalism arrives comfortably in your 27 inch TV screen. You’re sitting at home with a friend, maybe eating some lunch, enjoying the news. The broadcast from the war zone comes on. You stop eating. Your attention focuses on the story. After a few minutes, the broadcast ends. The images that just passed through that screen changed something in you. Then a commercial comes on of sad puppies that were abused and incredibly sad. Now you have no idea what to think.
So here you were, enjoying your lunch with your friend, and you are now feeling compelled to speak out for the war effort or maybe even adopt one of those abused puppies to show you care. Your friend on the other hand is appalled by the sight of it, so he decides to shut it out completely. This way of broadcasting is a mixed bag. Showing those graphic images will have an effect on you. Pictures do a better job that words do. This form of broadcasting is not going away. Not until it stops working, which will never happen. So, its up to the viewer on how to take these images. Will you blow it off and never think about it again, or will you do something about the cause? The choice is yours.