An Introduction to Visual Communication: From Cave Art to Second Life

Technological changes have radically altered the ways in which people use visual images. Since the invention of photography, imagery has increasingly been used for entertainment, journalism, information, medical diagnostics, instruction, and communication. These functions move the image beyond aesthetic issues associated with art and into the realm of communication studies.
This introductory textbook introduces students to the terminology of visual literacy, methods for analyzing visual media, and theories on the relationship between visual communication and culture. Exploring the meanings associated with visual symbols and the relationship of visual communication to culture, this book will provide students with a better understanding of the visually oriented world in which they live. Student-friendly features such as boxed topics, key terms, web resources, and suggestions for exercises are provided throughout.

Susan B. Barnes is a full professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Associate Director of the Lab for Social Computing at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She has received numerous grants for both applied and theoretical research on the impact of computers in society. Her publications include Online Connections: Internet Interpersonal Relationships (2001), Computer-Mediated Communication: Human-to-Human Communication Across the Internet (2003), and Web Research: Selecting, Evaluating, and Citing with Marie Radford and Linda Barr (2002).