Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels

The Power of Infographics

It is no surprise that infographics are everywhere. 

As “visual beings,” humans have used images to create meaning since the beginning of time (Lawrence, 2022,  p. 105). Now, because they are visually pleasing and "so easy to ‘like,’ ‘retweet,’ or ‘pin,’ infographics are a steady part of the content readers consume online” (Turner & Hicks, 2017, p. 60). These readers include our students, who are using social media more and more each year. However, infographics are often designed to persuade. For this reason, it is essential that we empower our students by educating them on the power of infographics.

Understanding Infographics

From early grades to adulthood, infographics are increasing in popularity. According to Noonoo (2023), “research shows complex visuals and illustrations are becoming prevalent across children’s media, including textbooks, where graphics now convey information that, more often than not, isn’t found anywhere else in the text” (para. 4). Therefore, students may miss out on critical information if they have not learned to analyze and interpret these visuals. 

Learning to analyze and create infographics can “strengthen higher-order thinking skills” for students of all ages (Noonoo, 2023, para. 26). In fact, as noted by Turner and Hicks (2017), “creating infographics allows students to engage in inquiry in interesting ways” (p. 74). The process encourages students to synthesize information from multiple sources and then prioritize what research to include in their work. The design process requires creators to consider how the visual presentation will influence their readers. When students are tasked with thoughtfully considering key aspects of design as creators of this medium, as seen in Figure 1, they enhance critical thinking skills.  

Figure 1

Creating Awareness

However, while teaching students the many benefits of infographics, it is also important to educate them on the ways that they are often used to manipulate consumers. Lawrence (2022) argues, “In the commercial world, perhaps unfortunately, graphic design and advertising are more about persuasion than they are about informing” (p. 106). Students must understand the importance of analyzing the design choices of an infographic and should learn how creators “layer elements, such as text, color, illustrations, and numbers to convey meaning” (Noonoo, 2023, para. 15). These stylistic choices “might appear random,” but in fact, skilled creators make every choice with intention when designing their visual (Turner & Hicks, 2017, p. 71). Understanding that these stylistic decisions are used to convey the creator’s purpose enables students to then consider hidden bias they might otherwise overlook.

 

Photo by Julia M. Cameron on Pexels

Once students understand the significance of the infographic’s design, teachers can shift the focus to the content of the visual. Turner and Hicks (2017) suggest that “because effective infographics rely on a tightly focused message, they rarely present an alternative perspective, let alone a fully formed counterargument” (p. 65). Students need to understand the importance of fact-checking, rather than taking the information at face value. Noonoo (2023) points out that infographics often use data and numerical information in ways that can be misleading, such as when creators “use exaggerated scales, remove the zero point, or engage in other trickery to present information in inaccurate ways” (para. 6). To address this, Noonoo (2023) suggests that teachers could create “[a] more complex lesson [to] examine how these choices can make some graphics (even well-known ones) misleading or confusing to general audiences, and whether that’s intentional” (para. 19).

Moving Forward

With guidance and practice, students can learn to be thoughtful consumers and effective creators of infographics. Arguably, as our society spends more time online and less time reading traditional texts, the presence of infographs will only increase. The visual rhetoric of this medium is powerful, but if we “slowly [scaffold] students’ understanding of them in thoughtful ways,” we can give our students more control over the information they consume (Noonoo, 2023, para. 7). 

 

 

References

 

Lawrence, D. (2022). Digital writing: A guide to writing for social media and the web. Broadview Press. 

 

Noonoo, S. (2023, January 20). Using infographics to build media literacy and higher-order thinking skills. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/infographics-media-literacy-skills/ 

 

Turner, K. H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts. Heinemann.