‘Subliminal Images’ Beware

Our love-affair with technology should come with a health warning according to a recent study.

‘Subliminal images ‘   are defined as   brief graphical displays   hidden inside conventional media products such as television programmes and films.

Like a ‘Trojan Horse’ unsuspecting viewers only ever sense their presence   subconsciously.

Hollywood films like ‘Johnny Mnemonic’ (1995)   and ‘Fight Club’ (1999) make reference to ‘subliminal   technology’. The   technology itself is not new and has been available since the 1950s. Indeed, the UK government has banned its use in advertising.

Now, ‘functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging’ (fMRI) has revealed that an area of the brain called the ‘Primary Visual Cortex’ can store such images.

The findings suggest that the human brain faced with relative inactivity will attempt to fill the void   by storing whatever   visual images it can, even if they are covert ‘subliminal messages’. In future, such images may be used by advertisers in order to convince us to buy their wares.