ABSTRACT
Today there are many more images than ever before and, of course, a range of new media technologies transmitting them. Information networks now traverse the globe, operating in real time and handling volumes of information with an unprecedented velocity, which makes the telegram and telephony of the 1970s appear way out of date. Similarly, it is impossible to ignore the routine use of word processors and computerised work stations in offices, to be blind to the expansion of advertising and its metamorphosis into forms such as sports sponsorship, direct mail and corporate image promotion. In short, the ‘information explosion’ is a striking feature of contemporary life and any social analyst who ignores it risks not being taken seriously.
