Visual Communication Online

 Happy week ten everyone! For my final weekly blog, I am going to be talking about social semiotics. 

Social semiotics evaluates different types of communication and how meaning is created and interpreted in different contexts (Green, 2024). This is also the study of signs and symbols in society. Social semiotics was first introduced by Michael Halliday in 1978, and the idea was further expanded on by Gunther Kress. While Halliday focused on how we make meaning through language, Kress elevated the idea and went on to develop the concepts in multimodality. (Adami et al., 2022). The concept of social semiotics is important because it provides the tools to look at how we construct meaning and how we understand it in different social settings. We can use social semiotics to study everything from online communication to everyday interactions, as well as uncover what influences communication. 

The methodology of social semiotics also presents some rules to follow when analyzing images. As we analyze photos there are a few factors we can look at. Starting with vertical positioning where we can pull meaning from pictures based on the contents at the top of bottom of the frame. Typically, the top of the image represents hopes and ideals as well as what is imagined, while the bottom of the image represents reality or what is known. Similar to vertical positioning, we can also look at images through horizontal positioning. This is where the left side of the image portrays known or given information and the right side represents new or unknown information. After reviewing these rules however, we must keep in mind that everyone will interpret and analyze images differently. People come from all kinds of different cultures and backgrounds, and this also plays a role in how we look at pictures. Below are two pictures I have taken and analyzed through the social semiotics methods.

When I originally saw this scene and took this photo, I was focused mainly on the beautiful rainbow. However, when I was looking through my camera roll after learning about vertical positioning in this week's lecture, I was able to create a story that I see is told in this image. I felt that this picture added another level to what we learned about the placement of elements in a photo. In the lower half of my photo, you can see a messy construction site, specifically with a "Road Closed" sign. This could signify the challenges we face in life and the reality that life won't always be easy. The rainbow in the upper half of the image can represent our hopes, and aspirations. The rainbow could also represent the feeling that eventually, everything will work out and we can persevere and overcome the challenges we meet.  

When I came across this image in my camera roll, I felt that it would be a great example to analyze through the social semiotics methods. Specifically horizontal positioning. Although it takes up a good amount of the frame, starting on the left side of the image we see land. This is something we are familiar with, something we know is somewhat reliable and safe. On the right side of the image we can see the ocean, something that presents opportunities and brings joy but also some uncertainty and fear of what is unknown. 

Thanks again for following along on this blogging journey with me! Good luck on finals!

Works Cited: Adami, E., Diamantopoulou, S., & Lim, F. V. (2022). Design in Gunther Kress’s social semiotics. London Review of Education, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.14324/lre.20.1.41