Remember when you received that text message from your friend and didn’t understand its tone? The text contained only the letter ‘K.’ Its brevity must mean the sender is upset or annoyed, right? But, then, along comes a smiley face. Now, it’s meaning is transformed. Our sender is happy and content. The text’s fundamental meaning has changed by adding an image. 

Most of us can relate to the above anecdote, whether, at the moment, we realized the power of the image or not. But there is a great deal further science and statistics that go into understanding the more sophisticated manner in which images—still or video—process through our neurological and cognitive systems. 

Storytelling as a means of human communication dates back as far as scientists can estimate. Significantly, humans accomplished our earliest forms of documenting experiences by using a series of images on the walls of caves to tell a story. Current marketing strategies and efforts have witnessed a rise in the relevance and necessity of compelling storytelling. And, in a modern context, one of the most important functions of using visual images over text in storytelling is the speed in which communication occurs.  

As cited by an article from Fast Company, according to research by 3M (the company that brought us Post-it Notes), visual images are processed 60,000 times faster than text. A visual can communicate much faster than a piece of writing or oral communication. Considering the fast pace of digital communication and the on-demand needs of consumers, the speed in which marketing and advertising materials can deliver is paramount to a company’s needs and goals.

What about the most robust example of modern communication: social media?

We can look to social media to demonstrate the power of images on communication. Dan Zarella, a social media scientist from HubSpot, discovered that tweets with images are 94% more likely to be shared than tweets without an image. This statistic points not only to how much more responsive people are to communicate with images, but it also speaks to what we prioritize as more effective communication. Scientific studies also point in this direction.

According to the Social Science Research Network, 65% of people are visual learners. This learning involves how people not only process information but how they absorb and recall that same information. With such a vast majority of people learning through visuals, it becomes imperative to offer images for the sake of cognitive processing, absorption, and recollection. Our communication must reflect what sciences and statistics have reflected in human populations. 

The advent of chatbots drives this far more dynamic approach to communication. Being able to offer, in real-time and on-demand, visuals images—both still and video—renders chatbots the future of complex and effective communication. Consumers will not only process marketing and advertising information more quickly, but they will retain and recall at higher rates.  Do you want to see this type of communication in action? Book a demo with us today! 

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Author: Botco.ai
Meta Description: But there is a great deal more science and statistics that go into understanding the far more sophisticated manner in which images—still or video—process through our neurological and cognitive systems. 
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