Most people would believe that having something done is more important than the means taken to do so, I would take the middle path and simply say that both are equally important. This infographic took a course of about 2 or 3 weeks to complete, and I will gladly say that the product of our work was good, even if there may have been some misconceptions about the style of this project in the beginning.
One of the most important aspects of this infographic is probably the graph showing Paper consuption, which is really the only true source that shows quantifiable data over a length of time. The graph proves that the usage of paper is going up at a constant rate, even though most people would believe that the heightening rates of digital reading may cause paper to be phased out technologically. In actuality, I believe that paper is an equally important material for storing data as through computers and digital information. For instance, newspapers and magazines are still selling well, and there is a psychological effect of having the material physically in your grasp than looking at it though and LCD screen. This may seem irrelevant, but one must realize that several people in the world still prefer reading newspapers to having to click through articles on an online news source (which is subject to internet connection problems and videos that may take a long time to load). I myself prefer reading books that are physically there, and I have a huge library of novels that I have finished as opposed to the one fanfic that I read through Google Docs online last October. The Internet is of an interactive nature, and I personally do not prefer it for for when I might have to do long periods of reading (such as novels, e-books, etc.).
This is possibly why paper is still increasing in consumption, along with the continuously growing amount of students and workers needing paper.
Another thing I would like to address is the idea that the consumption of paper causes deforestation, which in turn will lead to higher rates of Global Warming. While this may hold true, the idea that digital information is a better alternative could potentially be completely misplaced. Most people might not realize that electricity too, can potentially cause Global Warming, as fossil fuels are used in large amounts in order for electricity to be created. If more people were to use computers and laptops for all of their information, then the demand for electricity would most certainly increase. I felt the need to address this issue because this is an aspect that most people might overlook when arguing for phasing paper out of the information storage business.
So by now, one can probably observe that I am all for paper remaining a strong area for information storage. It is simply too culturally symbolic that it would be a shame if the human race as a whole lost their ability to use pen, or the paintbrush. Paper holds a vast amount of historical significance, and I believe that it should continuously be used in the future. Many may say that paper is easily wasted, but it is entirely the choice of the writer, or the artist to put good use to this simple material. Paper is potentially the message to ancestors, and humans should definitely not take it for granted.
The process of creating the infographic was mainly divided between our team, and me and another member did most of the research. I myself did a fair amount of research regarding the historical development of paper and the statistics regarding paper consumption, while one member mainly dealt with the aesthetic qualities of the infographic. To be totally honest, at first I was completely worried about the quality of the glog as it appeared to have more 'text walls' so to speak, than short sentences and bolded numbers that stand out. Now I can safely say that I am happy with how quickly our designing member was able (not to mention willing) to revamp the entire infographic when met with constructive criticisim.
I have already mentioned a fair bit of my opinions regarding the technological aspects of the infographic, including how I would prefer paper for long periods of reading rather than through the internet. I think that the infographic does not nearly have enough pictures for it's style, and I would have liked for there to be more pictures and more sources of aesthetic creativity.
Possibly the single most reason that infographics are so popular in this age is that everybody is always in a rush, and the average attention span of a human being is rapidly decreasing. Things such as infographics help keep a mind focused on the image and the information being presented, without the mind just flitting away to another item of interest. While this may seem particularly a negative thing to say, I sometimes even notice this about myself, and such a form of presenting information is the easiest way to keep the audience focused.
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Note: I apologize if this blog post is very late, but I had just returned to my true home almost half a year after leaving due to the flood. The internet has not fully been restored in my house and I did my very best to crunch in my work for this blog post during break times at school. This blog was posted from an internet cafe.
