1) How can current communication tools and techniques be used to bring attention to the political, economic and social issues of today? Identify 2 tools and how they are used. Current communication tools and techniques such as images and blogs can help bring attention to political, economic and social issues of today. Blogs are used all of the time due to having access to the internet. They are used to express and inform people about things going on in the world today. Blogs are viewed by numerous amounts of people all over the world, making it easier to get a point across. Images are another great technique to bring attention to something. Some people don't like reading, "People see a picture long before they read"(Goulet 1) so images are a good alternative. They are used for advertising all over the place, such as buses, trains, billboards, ect. In what ever way an issue is brought to peoples attention, "The message becomes knowledge and people carry that knowledge and tell other people."(Goulet 2).
2) Do you think visual forms of communication (image based) are more likely to reach and impact viewers wordwide than other forms of communication? Why or why not? In some ways I do think that visuals are more likely to impact viewers depending on how strong the visual is. If it isn't appealing then it probably won't get as much attention. In my opinion another good form of communication that could also draw a lot of people's attention is music, because it is so universal. Everyone listens to music and you don't necessarily need to buy the music, you can just listen to the radio.
3) Do you think that people who are adapt with technology and skilled in visual design have a responsibility to use their skills "to create awareness or peace or social change using imagery"? Yes and no because not everyone has 24/7 access to technology. But if they do and they feel strongly about an issue then they should use there skills to bring attention to the topic. This all depends if that person feels like visuals are the best way that they can get their point across.
4) How could your "Make a Statement" image (Project 1) "create awareness or peace or social change"? My "Make a Statement" image could create awareness for AIDS/HIV becuase it basically speaks for itself. It could help people come to a realization that people are dying becuase of this disease and not just small amounts of people, millions. Which means that people need to start protecting themselves, before they end up with the disease because it isn't a joke. It could happen to anyone and you could end up one of the numbers in the statistics.
