THE ROLE OF CARTOONISTS IN SOCIETY

Cartoonists play a major role in our society. They influence us with political and social
commentary. The artistic talent and literary devices put into their cartoons make them
powerful vehicles that can be used to move and shift our thinking.

But they are not only effective because of the messages they convey and the influence
it has on our thinking. They are effective because of how efficiently they can reach us.
We are living in a modern, technologically advanced society. There are thousands of
articles and news outlets to aid us in having well-informed opinions on current affairs.
However, 80% of readers do not read the entire article, the majority spending 15
seconds or less reading it. A reason for this is that our current society responds better to
visual stimuli -photos from Instagram and Facebook, viral videos and cartoons.

Cartoons can grab the attention of the viewer/reader far quicker than the millions of
articles available that all look the same. Yet once the cartoon has grabbed a viewer's
attention, they are more likely to be cognitively engaged. A cartoon does require you to
spend time analysing it. This is what provokes a thought process in an attempt to
understand the meaning of the cartoon, determine the message and whether you agree
or disagree. Therefore, the cartoonist has the power to negatively or positively influence
a viewer on the topic.

The cartoonists make use of various techniques such as references to pop culture,
humour via irony, satire or exaggeration- all to relay a message. A message that
provides a perspective on a specific topic.

Often this topic is politics. Political cartoons are considered controversial because they
highlight, expose and ridicule the actions of our political leaders. This can have the
potential to make leaders in our society aware of and accountable for their actions.
Cartoons also have the potential to be a source of encouragement for the public to join
forces to vote or protest and stand up for their cause and fight for change.

And all of this can be done by the works of cartoonists whose controversial and
shocking cartoons spark debates and stimulate conversations. These debates and
conversations that are created by reactions to cartoons are exactly what we need. They
tackle the topics that are often avoided and suppressed by their taboo nature and the
fear of voicing honest opinions.

This is precisely why cartoonists are so valuable to our society. They encourage us to
confront the issues that affect our society – equality, the trust we put into political
leaders or our societal behaviour. They encourage us to consider alternate perspectives
and think critically – pushing boundaries and testing limits to diversify our way of
thinking. Cartoonists do all of this while providing us with entertainment and light comic
relief.