Cartoons are often used to address universal issues in a light and humorous manner. They usually convey judgements or thoughts that the cartoonist has about a specific person or society as a whole. As McCloud says in Understanding Comics, “For comics to mature as a medium, it must be capable of expressing each artist’s innermost needs and ideas.” By looking at the cartoon chosen, viewers can see that through color, texture, proportion, and pattern the artist is trying to convey the message that as a generation we are so caught up in our phones, and what everyone else is doing that we forget to enjoy what is going on around us. 

The visual text selected depicts two young boys walking into what appears to be a lake or ocean. They both have surprised looks on their faces while looking down to see tan lines on their chests. The tan lines are of their hands holding their phone. Behind them is multiple people sitting in beach chairs under umbrellas, on their smart phones. The artist of the photo uses bright colors to show how beautiful everything around the people looks, despite the fact that they aren’t even embracing it. The background is full of luscious green trees and what looks like a resort or a restaurant that’s waterfront, and blue skies with no clouds.  The water color is blue and refreshing. The trees and the water are the only elements of the photo that include texture which gives off the effect that they are the only parts of the picture moving. Everything else seems to be standing absolutely still, including the boys in awe of what they have seen. The color of the boy’s skin is the most drastic and what viewers look at first. The contrast of white and brown has a really strong impact on the eyes, therefore drawing attention to it first. The detail on the picture shows the fingers holding the phone in the tan line drawn on their chests. The facial expression the boys possess gives off a negative vibe. They look surprised and almost scared at what they see. The artist drew the boy in the back with his hands spread apart to show the level of concern he felt.  The proportion of the boys to the other components of the painting is key. The artist took a direct approach when displaying the two boys. They were made larger than the other elements of the picture to provide viewers with the illusion that the boys are in the water, and also to make the viewer look at them first. Because they are the largest part of the photo, they’re the easiest to look at. There also appears to be no one directly behind the boys. This is because the artist doesn’t want anything to distract the viewers’ attention away from the main part of the picture. The people in the background on their phones almost seem to be in a pattern. The pattern starts with a single person, followed by a gap and then a large and cluttered group and then restarts. This could be to leave gaps for the boys or to just be visually pleasing to the eye. The vantage point of the picture is straight on. There is no angle that would suggest any further meaning. The photo is obviously meant to open up our eyes and trigger the viewer’s emotions. It’s meant to show that society as a whole is missing out on life, because they are looking at it through a phone or other device, rather than experiencing it in the moment.

The message of this picture is to show viewers that smartphones and other kinds of technology are consuming our lives. The constant urge to see what everyone else is doing, instead of talking to them in person, is hurting our face to face relationships with each other. Whether it’s at a concert or sitting on a beach, our society is always so caught up in documenting the moment that they forget to enjoy it. As a generation, we waste so much time consuming unnecessary information online, instead of building relationships and bonding with the people around us. In this time, we could do so many things to help benefit ourselves and the world around us.  

In the picture chosen, there are so many different elements that add to the overall message that the artist is trying to get across. Through the use of color, texture, proportion, and pattern, we can somehow figure out what the artist is getting at. Color is the main element because through the contrast of colors, we see the tan line on the boy’s chest. That is the biggest indicator of the message that our generation spends too much time wrapped up in what’s going on inside of their phone. The texture in the photo shows us what’s moving and what’s completely still. This gives us a good idea of how caught up everyone is in what they’re doing and how in complete shock the boys are by what they have done. Lastly, the pattern and proportion in this picture go hand in hand. They work together to accentuate the boys, making them the center of attention. The artist did a really good job of using these elements to open viewer’s eyes to what our generation has come to. The message of the visual text is that our society is so preoccupied with making it look like they are having fun through social media and smartphones, that they forget to enjoy what is actually going on around them. Instead of actually making memories and embracing what is going on at that very moment, everyone is set on documenting it. 
