Reminder: a useful definition of INFERENCE is a conclusion that is based on known facts or evidence. INFERENCE is a cognitive process that is used in a very wide variety of ways, including analyzing art, in detective and legal work, in interpreting comedic or cartoon social commentary, for example, …as well as in the process of responding to images of all kinds, to include advertising and news-photo imagery. …Which is what you will be doing next. Applying Inferential skills to images from advertising and news.
It is very important to keep in mind that, in these kinds of images, nothing is left to chance, everything is intentionally designed to carry a predetermined message or effect on the audience. This is probably obvious in terms of the highly-crafted, and often artistic, images that we see in commercial advertising. However, even in news photos, only the ones that effectively send an intended message are the ones that make the pages of newspapers and websites. You can see the intention behind news images when you compare, for example, the different photos that websites decide to publish for the exact same event, depending on their political leanings. Fox vs. MSNBC will have strongly contrasting images, even though they may be reporting on the exact same event. This is possible because, remember, a photo journalist at a Presidential news conference, for example, will not just take a photo, or even a few—especially thanks to digital cameras, they will take dozens, if not hundreds, of photos, ensuring that they get the ‘perfect’ one for whichever news outlet they are working for/selling to. We are all familiar with pictures of ourselves taken at a party where we might have appeared in a photo making a silly face with our eyes half-closed, and when people are exposed to the image they immediately think we were super intoxicated or acting crazy, but, in actuality, it was just that split second image that gives the impression… still, if someone wants to post it for that effect, it will work. Same with news images—somewhere in the welter of photos there will be that perfect image that lends itself to an intended ‘message’ and it will be the one published. In this way, even news photos of actual events (whereas you should think of advertisements more like fictional art pieces, drawings, composed for a desired effect) are highly manipulated.
You are going to have to be very specific as you think critically about the images you choose for this project and then explain HOW they work at communicating their respective messages. You can readily feel an ad that you like, or a news image that makes you angry… but are you aware of the analytical processes that your mind is executing on the way to your reaction? Do you know why and how you like what you like? Critically dissecting these things, using the elements that follow, will be how you can uncover your own reactions, in minute detail.
ASSIGNMENT:
First, select an advertising or news image. You must be able to submit your image with your assignment: First, go to your “account” on your Canvas home page and add the image to your “Files”—then follow these directions: https://www.google.com/search?q=add+images+to+canvas+submission&rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS759US759&oq=add+images+to+canvas+submi&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j33l4.18934j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 (Links to an external site.)
It may take a while to figure out exactly how to do this, but additional research on the internet will solve the problem (that’s what I did)—make sure you give yourself plenty of time before the deadline for this part of the assignment.
[NOTE: Public service announcements, like warnings about cigarette smoking or spousal abuse, are neither ads nor news items; hence they are constructed differently and have different messaging goals in mind. Make sure you stick to the assignment requirements. Images included below are ONLY for example here, NOT to be used in this assignment.]
Sample Solution
