Peripheral cues and the power of simple images.

Abstract

Images have always played an important role for human civilisation, in particular through their ability to convey complex and emotionally-resonant ideas far more easily than words. Political ideas and arguments, in the current era, are often communicated through simple images, collages, mash-ups and memes. The question this chapter focuses on is why these matter in terms of their impact. Drawing on literature which has highlighted the power of heuristics, and experimental research showing images can shape the responses of participants, the chapter uses the case of the anti-Covid 19 restrictions to explore how images can have helped to build this movement. We show how the use of images of masked children, smiling unmasked faces and simple slogans may have led those who found restrictions a greater burden than they found infection a threat to join develop sympathies with the anti-restriction movement and potentially break rules and guidelines imposed to restrict the spread of the virus.