Personally I find the absence of images mostly positive, and apparently helpful for staying in System 2 mode. This is a place where we analyze counter-intuitive propositions, so the absence of images may be critical to the optimal functioning of the community.
That’s not to say images don’t have cognitive advantages (the information content can be processed more quickly than text, e.g.) but they can be distracting, and might actually tend to lead one to be less analytical and concise in the long run. Notice how an image-based meme may seem credible or hard to shoot down even when it represents a strawman argument (or even no argument at all). There’s a reason Chick tracts are a thing.
Personally I find the absence of images mostly positive, and apparently helpful for staying in System 2 mode. This is a place where we analyze counter-intuitive propositions, so the absence of images may be critical to the optimal functioning of the community.
That’s not to say images don’t have cognitive advantages (the information content can be processed more quickly than text, e.g.) but they can be distracting, and might actually tend to lead one to be less analytical and concise in the long run. Notice how an image-based meme may seem credible or hard to shoot down even when it represents a strawman argument (or even no argument at all). There’s a reason Chick tracts are a thing.