October 21, 2015

Speaker: Isabel Meirelles, OCAD University

Title: The effects of technologies on the visual presentation of information in the news media

Abstract: Fuelled in part by the need to extract meaning from massive amounts of data and our inabilities to make sense of data without the aid of external devices, information visualizations have gained unprecedented prominence in all corners of academia and industry. As a result, we are experiencing an expansive and expanding exposure to visual presentations of information that range from infographics in printed and online news media to smartphone apps that collect and visualize our personal data. This talk will examine the visual presentation of information in the news media over time. It will start with a brief historical overview, followed by an examination of recent trends. The analysis will use the technologies of production and readership as a framework.