Goal
Participants are able to detect and analyze manipulation in visual materials (for example posters created for political campaigns).
Steps
1. Brainstorming on components of posters that may influence human perception (mind mapping).
2. Presenting questionnaire on critical analysis of visual materials:
- Who/What is on the poster? What is the story on the picture? What is going on in the picture?
- What does the body language on the picture express?
- Which colors are used? What do you feel when looking at it? What are the fonts? And what do you feel about the fonts?
- Is it easy to get the sense of the message or you need to spend some time to understand it?
- When was it published? What do you know about the background story, historical or social context behind it?
- Does the poster have a catchy slogan? What is the message of the picture? Are there any words highlighted or underlined? Why?
- Are there any facts or numbers you are able to verify? (Statistics, proper names etc.)
- Who is the main target group of the message? Was it created for a specific audience?
- Do you detect any hidden agenda?
- Where was it published (online, open air, on the streets, near some buildings)?
- Final question: What is the main goal of this poster?
3. Working in small groups, in example for poster analysis in national groups.
4. Presenting the results and discussing the strategies of manipulation.
Reflection
- What kind of manipulation strategies did you notice while working in groups?
- Why is it important to know the background and context behind the poster?
- . Is it possible to fully understand the poster without additional information?
- What influence may the poster have?
- Did you use search engines or any other source to verify information or to dig deeper into the topic?
Created By:
Barbara Maderak-Krolik, Daniel Kiermut, Giorgi Iaganashvili, Maria Tymoshchuk, Tamta Shekiladze
Variation: US Case Study
Use examples of a concrete election campaign (here presidential election 2016 in the USA)
