Page 136 - Demo

Chapter 6134visualising people protesting or providing data about communities that declared themselves free of shale gas, the unspecific narrative of opposition to fracking becomes more particular. By showing a local symbol, the general narrative of a negative effect on the environment is associated with particular local and unique characteristics. Similarly, showing natural landscapes makes the generic narrative of protecting the environment specific to a place. The showing of government officials makes the loose narrative of supporting an energy technology factual. The display of a local symbol makes more real the general narrative of benefitting local communities.In the food controversies studied online, the visualisation of narratives makes the invisible or unnoticed seen. One way of doing so is to show ‘casual’ things in combination with a particular text message. Thus, showing people shopping for food and food abundance next to text about harmful food ingredients or technologies encourages the reader-viewer to rethink the risks involved in these otherwise considered harmless foods or interactions with them. Similarly, the positioning of casual things such as food abundance, people in industrial-food sites and scientific activity next to text describing food security and progress constructs narratives that encourage one to rethink the taken-for-granted objects, situations or activities as reflecting benefits.Another way to make invisible or unnoticed objects visible is by visually isolating objects or magnifying them. This way of visualising makes the reader-viewer aware of things related to these objects – things that are otherwise often overlooked or impossible to see with the naked eye. Thus, the visual isolation of plastic pellets in combination with text describing the health risks posed by plastic residues raises awareness of food contamination as a result of discarding ordinary plastic products. The showing of nanostructures next to textual information about the health benefits of using nanoscale food additives raises awareness of the health benefits offered by adding these invisible ingredients. The technique of magnifying objects is shown to raise awareness of an idea also in a previous study, where a lab-produced image that found its way into popular media is shown to raise awareness of the potential of nanotechnology and the power of science (Merz, 2011, p. 353).Efrat.indd 134 19-09-2023 09:47