How many times have you looked at an image and thought, “Have I seen this before?” Chances are, if you are browsing a stock photo site, it’s often. That feeling of déjà vu occurs because images reflect an amalgam of artistic, cultural, and ideological influences (Hall, 2015).
Whether consciously or subconsciously, when we look at an image on a webpage, billboard, or in a magazine we interpret its meaning. How does the image apply to what we already know? How does it challenge or support our beliefs? Images can jumpstart our curiosity, reinforce our understanding of the world, and even prod us to imagine the world as it might become. However, the experience of looking at an image is not always a positive one.
Images have the potential to reinforce biases as they relate to gender, sexuality, race, and class (see for example Singletary, 2018). As visual studies scholar Shawn Michelle Smith (2004) argues, archives of images have “an ideological function not only in the moment of their inception but also across time, for they determine…what will be collectively remembered and how it will be remembered” (p. 8). There is a reason why a person might assume a teacher is a woman and a business executive a man; for decades, images have assigned certain professions to certain genders.
Given that images can communicate ideals, perceptions, and biases, pay special attention to any tropes an image might recall. Course imagery that allows different kinds of students to visualize themselves in various professional and social positions can enhance the learning experience and encourage students to think expansively.
Consider the following best practices when selecting images for your course:
- Remember that every image reflects an existing artistic, historical, or cultural influence that may or may not be appropriate to today’s sensibilities. Take an extra second to interrogate the implicit and explicit messages your images might send, always opting for inclusive and diverse content.
- Whenever possible, to avoid potential biases, choose images that do not include people. Some alternatives to images with people include images of the natural and built world.
- If you choose to include people in your course images, make sure the images feature men, women, and children in various types of professional, educational, and social settings.
- When possible, choose images with your audience in mind; many online learners do not fit the predominant student profile. Selecting images that resonate with your particular students can invite them deeper into your course from the start.
References
Hall, S. (2015). The whites of their eyes: Racist ideologies and the media. In G. Dines & J.M. Humez (Eds.), Gender, race, and class in media (4th ed.) (pp.104-107). Sage Publications.
Hariman, R. & Lucaites, J. L. (2007). No caption needed: Iconic photographs, public culture, and liberal democracy. University of Chicago Press.
Singletary, K. (2018). Everyday matters: Haunting and the black diasporic experience. In T. Florvil & V. Plumly (Eds.), Rethinking Black German studies: Approaches, interventions, and histories (pp.137-168). Peter Lang.
Smith, S.M. (2004). Photography on the color line: W.E.B. DuBois, race, and visual culture. Duke University Press.