by L. Diane Wolfe, @DancingLemurPre
Online media provides us few opportunities to express ourselves in our entirety. Text gives us a voice, but what about the other senses? We can’t taste, touch, or smell. But we can see.
Studies have shown that online all text is boring and difficult to read. Most news articles contain one or more images to ground the reader. Unless it’s reading an actual book, readers don’t want all text.
Images break it up. A long line of text leave readers almost gasping for breath. Unlike traditional book readers, people do not want a tome of information online. They want the important details and they want it quick. Adding a few graphics gives their experience more meaning.
Items with images are more likely to be shared. Look at your most shared blog posts, Facebook posts, Tweets, etc. Those with images were shared far more often. A line of text doesn’t convey enough. But add a graphic or a video and it gains new depth.