The Picture Problem

Technology and imaging have fused, changing the way that we interact with the world. Phones and cameras have become extensions of the body, allowing us to see and share in new ways. This revolution has improved our lives in countless ways; it has also numbed the very things that make us human. 

One  experiment regarded the effectiveness of physical breast examinations versus mammograms. The study concluded that both tests were equally effective in reducing the mortality rate, yet mammograms are consistently seen as the better method. A contributor lamented, "But we simply don’t trust our tactile sense as much as our visual sense.” A reason for this is the incredible disparity the human factor will create when interpreting these images. "One radiologist caught eighty-five per cent of the cancers the first time around. Another caught only thirty-seven per cent." Without a skilled eye looking at any image, it's just an image. It's only with talent and training these images can be dissected. 

It's true, a picture today is worth ten thousand words. A picture today is often more trusted than witness testimony, and it is seen as more permanent. Even in sports pundits will say "Film don't lie". The picture problem is really a humanity problem. We have lost touch with each other and instead have put our faith into images that can be manipulated and cheated. We must realize moving forward that images have restrictions, and we need to put our trust into people, not only images.