In the modern world, many technologies which were hardly imagined in the past have been now possible. This rapid development has been changing the ways people interact with their daily basics, including communication through image (photograph or film) instead of using written word. It’s said that digital image is a more potent way than words to convey ideas, however, I strongly reject this verdict due to many benefits of reading which watching cannot provide.
To begin with, any images or photos can be interpreted in words but not vice versa. This can be exemplified through the act of making movies based on novels or manga. In fact, many readers can easily notice that some details in the movie are incompatible with the book. Such a thing is sometimes the mistake of the film makers, but usually it is because they are not possible to put in or replicate on the screen. When using words, the writer is freely expressing their ideas, so many words can be used to describe their thoughts, and they are not limited to physics, time, point of view. However, this is the opposite when making a film, most of the time the audience is stuck with the third person point of view. Granted, the power of expressing an idea using words overwhelms that of using photograph or film.
The second major advantage of reading is that it can express an idea deeper and requires a higher degree of viewer’s competence in terms of knowledge and imagination. Photography and movies are easier to understand than reading because of their vivid illustrations and easy interpretation by our brain. However, words on paper are closely connected to each other, even just a little misunderstanding of word can lead to the whole different meaning. Not only that, the more time they spend on the book the more understanding grows, this is the reason why many people find it extremely enjoyable when re-reading a book but it’s rarely true when watching. In fact, language is the product of humanity ever since we knew how to communicate and have dramatically evolved and developed to describe feelings, ideas and stories, therefore its metamorphism is fascinating.
In conclusion, the means of image is not a more powerful way of communicating than written words due to its capabilities of expressing any thoughts and the variety of interpretations of a word. Those two means of communicating are both powerful, choosing one over another depends on different purposes with respect to easier to understand, knowledge’s requirements, etc.