If you saw my earlier blog on why video is trending, then you know that we absorb information with our eyes these days. Who wants to read a book, or even a paragraph, when there’s a nice picture to explain everything to you in an instant.

Visuals are important in social media especially because there is so much noise on the internet. Think about when you are bored at home on a Tuesday night, or sitting at a desk waiting for class to start. We start scrolling through our social media accounts looking for something interesting. Visual content helps us find that article, that photo or that Buzzfeed quiz that really pops and makes us want to find out more.

So we know visuals make things stand out. Why else add so many memes to a PowerPoint presentation? But why are they important? Here’s what I think:

1. Visual Content supports your text. As we have learned since elementary school, visuals support what you are talking about. Remember when your teacher warned you not to throw up a random Pokemon graphic when you’re doing a book report on  The Island of the Blue Dolphin? That’s because visuals should enhance your message.
2. Visuals explain complex ideas. Here’s a random infographic I found on Google Images.
   I don’t know much about octopi (Does anyone say that?) But check out these handy visuals. Immediately I can tell that they must be strong because there’s a guy with some muscles. Oh and look, they have three hearts! The visuals draw my eye to each fact and explain it more powerfully a lab report.

   

1. Visuals help you show, not tell, your story.  For example:

The child  was sad.

or

The mountains looked pretty

or 

‘Nuff said.