How Images Think (Paperback)

by Ron Burnett (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"How Images Think maps afresh the territory of how we engage with new media. Burnett challenges us to rethink our interpretation of the changing mediascape in which images are used as the main form of interaction and communication. It is crucial reading for those interested in understanding the relationships we have with the images that surround us."
—Ilana Snyder, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, Monash University

"I tried to think of a witty play on 'Every picture tells a thousand words,' but then the whole word/picture thing collapsed on me. Burnett really marries the two together. This book is actually billions of pictures in disguise. Required reading in these accelerating times."
—Douglas Coupland, novelist and visual artist

"This insightful investigation of how digital—and other—images modify, if not rule, the way we think is urgent reading for those among us who spend more than half their lives glued to one screen or another (TV, computer, PDA, cellphone, etc). That is, most of us."
—Derrick de Kerckhove, Director, McLuhan Program in Culture & Technology, University of Toronto

"This is a brilliant book that makes a much-needed contribution to new media research and cultural theory, written with great clarity and visionary purpose."
—Janine Marchessault, Associate Professor of Film Studies, York University

Product Description
Digital images are an integral part of all media, including television, film, photography, animation, video games, data visualization, and the Internet. In the digital world, spectators become navigators wending their way through a variety of interactive experiences, and images become spaces of visualization with more and more intelligence programmed into the very fabric of communication processes. In How Images Think, Ron Burnett explores this new ecology, which has transformed the relationships humans have with the image-based technologies they have created. So much intelligence has been programmed into these image-dependent technologies that it often seems as if images are "thinking"; ascribing thought to machines redefines our relationship with them and enlarges our ideas about body and mind. Burnett argues that the development of this new, closely interdependent relationship marks a turning point in our understanding of the connections between humans and machines.

After presenting an overview of visual perception, Burnett examines the interactive modes of new technologies—including computer games, virtual reality, digital photography, and film— and locates digital images in a historical context. He argues that virtual images occupy a "middle space," combining the virtual and the real into an environment of visualization that blurs the distinctions between subject and object—part of a continuum of experiences generated by creative choices by viewers, the results of which cannot be attributed either to images or to participants.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 275 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262524414
• ISBN-13: 978-0262524414
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #658,664 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book -- a must-read, July 26, 2005

By	Stephanie Thompson - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Images Think (Hardcover)

Ron Burnett's "How Images Think" is a major contribution to the current discussion surrounding images and the digital universe, and is essential reading for anyone interested in thinking about the implications of our relationship to analog and digital media. The book itself is gorgeously designed, with a luminous cover; each chapter is absorbing, and the reading experience is enhanced by the inclusion of additional sidebar comments/text, and interesting photographs. Most importantly, the text is full of intelligent and honest ideas about the contemporary process of interacting with images. It is academic and personal, complex and readable. The author's discussion of the internet as a "gateway" that transforms the computer from a device into a portal (ref. Chapter 6 "Humans--Machines"), is very astute, as are his thoughts on how current discussions of mind/consciousness often draw on metaphors used in computer science and engineering. A great book, overall, which I recommend to all.

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I have read in a while, June 17, 2004

By	Sara Brougton (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Images Think (Hardcover)

What a wonderful experience! This books is both personal and critical. I was impressed with the author's range of knowledge and desire to bring new ideas to the reader. His range is wonderful!!

6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like Roland Barthes, June 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: How Images Think (Hardcover)

The first chapter of this book examines a photograph taken by the
author. He use the photo to meditate on the Holocaust. It reminded
me of the work of Roland Barthes. Overall, a great book!