Oftentimes, infographics on social media will have links to donate/ petition for specific organizations. Not only do these posts increase awareness of large-scale issues, but some people may be encouraged to take their newfound understanding to the next level. Danielle Estagle, a sophomore at CHS, says, “I do feel that these infographics are helpful because they keep me educated and aware of relevant topics in today’s world that I would otherwise not know much about.” Katie Lien, a sophomore, agrees, saying, “I think that Instagram infographic posts generate a positive response that has the potential of igniting passion and interest.” Thus, infographics propagating Instagram foster a more politically aware generation. Social media is the primary news source for Generation Z. While its convenience may yield positive impacts, its vast oversimplification of intricate issues proves to have many ramifications. They are designed to be easily understood and aesthetically pleasing to drive their proliferation. Today, infographic posts are catered to the general public. Infographics eventually became weaponized as political tools for political persuasion. At the turn of the 20th Century, newspapers and magazines began to regularly publish infographics, realizing it appealed to their audience to have a concise visual representation of an article. “ were very much bound up in an elite discourse,” Dick points out, “…elite people talking to other elite people about elite issues.”Īs it evolved, the exclusivity of the infographic audience began to metastasize to the general population. In the beginning, infographics were catered to a niche audience. Scottish engineer and economist William Playfair had conceptualized bar charts, pie charts, and line charts to drive the creation of infographics. More and more people were collecting and generating data to use in textbooks, reference books, and other academic publications.Įventually, researchers began to look for a clear, visual alternative to presenting their dense data. During the late Enlightenment period, the number of works and studies being published spiked exponentially. Murray Dick, the author of The Infographic: A History of Data Graphics in News and Communications, the emergence of infographics at the end of the 18th Century was practically inevitable. However, infographics have existed long before then. Posts about Black Lives Matter attempted to disseminate bite-sized information on a massive social issue. This term is often coupled with slacktivism - or activism requiring minimal effort that yields insignificant results.įollowing the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, Instagram infographics transformed into vehicles to signal wokeness and generate profit, jamming Instagram feeds. Performative activism is defined as using social gain as a primary motivator for activism.
The infographic industrial complex has evolved into a form of performative activism utilized by the masses. Anyone can make an infographic and everyone has a platform to share them on.
However, unique to this complex is the use of social media as a medium. Individual designers, brands, and governmental organizations are the perpetrators of the infographic industrial complex, leeching on activist movements to generate profit and/or popularity. The industrial complex is notorious for its perpetuation of social issues in exchange for financial gain. While the initial intent of these businesses may be to advance its host institution toward its end goal, it bolsters profit during the process.
This commensal relationship negatively impacts the consumers of these profit economies. The industrial complex is a socioeconomic phenomenon where businesses interweave themselves within social and political systems.
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