Visual literacy' will begin to be a matter of survival, especially in the workplace. When images are absent our brains will seek them out in patterns within naturally occuring phenomena. From pictures in the sand, on cave walls and mythology cast in the sky the representation and projection of the human imagination has always been around us. Our vocabulary is increasingly being extended with words associated with visual worlds, both actual and virtual. Humans are visual creatures.
People remember most what they both see and do.
Science and technology continue to extend our sensory capabilities - primarily in the 'visual' range. It is not only our senses that can be extended by technology. Various parts of the body can be replaced. We have, for example, 'exosomatic kidneys' in the form of kidney dialysis machines. The processing and storage capabilities of computers are becoming ' exosomatic brains ', with holographic storage devices due to become consumer items circa 2002-3.