The Power of the Visual - A Cultural Thing

Google has changed the design of their Japanese entry page to include more graphics.


This is a smart move, I think. Japanese culture is highly visual, and I'm convinced this is related to the use of kanji. I also think it's why manga is so popular here and why it's also not dismissed outright as childish. Though there is a definite association of manga with young people and teenagers, it's not exclusive and it's not dismissive in most cases.

The Japanese also use many icons and emoticons in email messages. Many people (especially girls and women) use tons of animations in their emails, too. The phones have added these features across the board, regardless of provider.

I'm particularly sensitive to this because I think tone in a text message can cause massive misunderstandings. Icons help inflect and convey the tone or intent behind a message, especially if it's a joke that is slightly sarcastic.

I also have had to defend visual media within the academy more than once. It's appalling that open-minded academics reinscribe the prejudices they have faced when dealing with other media.

Anyway... one more thing to keep in mind about visual culture.