We are entering a predominantly post-literate era, where communication is less about deep reading and more about immediate visual recognition, visual credibility and emotional resonance with what and who we see. More leaders find they are now operating in a mediascape where memes, emojis and short-form videos often carry more weight than traditional written reports.
This shift toward the visual favors intuitive, right-brain communication, making it harder to rely on rational argument and easier to connect through shared symbols and emotional cues. This is an evolution that calls for contemporary leadership to master an essential new skillset — visual literacy.
Visual literacy calls on one’s ability to critically interpret the images used in communication, especially relevant with the rise of AI imagery (some estimates suggest that by 2050, 75 percent of what we will see will be AI-generated). While the concept of visual literacy has been with us for 50 years, we are far behind in developing it, and it's time to catch up.
Please select this link to read the complete article from Big Think.