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With the recent volcanic eruptions on the Big Island of Hawaii, a media frenzy has drawn eyes to this corner of the world. Whichever news outlet you prefer, you have probably seen dooming maps and images of the volcanic eruption and its aftermath. Maps used by the media which show the extent of the lava flow on the big island, are often scaled so far down that we can’t see the rest of the island. This, coupled with sensationalist headlines, such as “Could Mount Kilauea Be the Next Pompeii?”, can easily lead someone to believe the Big Island will be entirely engulfed by lava.
The images above are intended as a simple internet joke, but they actually demonstrate the importance of using maps to establish perspective and accurately display information. The image on the left is an exaggeration of people’s perception based on the way Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano eruption is being portrayed in some of the news and on social media. The image on the right is roughly the actual size of the lava flow in relation to the Big Island. Unless the media shows the relative perspective of a phenomenon in one location relative to its larger area, it is easy for audiences to misunderstand the context of the narrative.
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