Neil Postman on Photography and Language

„The way in which the photograph records experience is also different from the way of language. Language makes sense only when it is presented as a sequence of propositions. Meaning is distorted when a word or sentence is, as we say, taken out of context; when a reader or listener is deprived of what was said before, and after. But there is no such thing as a photograph taken out of context, for a photograph does not require one. In fact, the point of photography is to isolate images from context, so as to make them visible in a different way.“

Neil PostmanNeil Postman explains how photographs isolate images from context and make them visible differently, unlike language.

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Neil Postman was an American media theorist, author, and educator known for his critiques of mass media, especially television, and its effects on society.

Postman highlights how photos and language contextualize experience differently.

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Neil Postman (1931–2003) was an American media theorist, cultural critic, and author. He taught communication at New York University and is best known for his books on media criticism such as "Amusing Ourselves to Death," in which he analyzes the impact of television on public communication and education.

Neil Postman quote about photography and language

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