Using
a computer is not like watching television. It requires to know some
conventions, icons, especially the language. If you do not know English, you
can still watch Oscar and understand what is going on, who received the
award and so on. Whereas, looking at the Oscar.com requires some skills in
addition to the language of the page, user needs to know how to use a
computer, where to click, how to scroll,… For a first time user, there are
still some icons or pictures to guide, but Internet or computer use in
general is difficult to operate than remote control. Although remote
controls are getting easy to use, it is still hard for some users to program
their VCRs.
For
example, infants appear to understand TV images months before they begin to
improve their language skills. Clearly TV watching doe not require
intellectual competence in order to appreciate it, at lest on the most basic
level.
Just
like TV, Internet and new technologies has its own conventions (icons,
rules, language,…). People who are highly experienced in film, see more
and hear more than people who seldom go to the movies. Watching hollowed
movies has its own conventions than independent films or international
films.
Learning
is based on what we see before. Things make sense to us if we have seen them
before.
Surfing
the Internet is a skill we develop over time. We get used to its icons and
conventions over time. Our response gets quicker and sharper.
Moreover,
there are cultural differences in perception of images. Images are
interpreted differently in different cultures. So we know that images must
be read.