Looking Into Social Semiotics

Looking into Social Semiotics

    Social Semiotics is the social theory about making meaning in interactions. This method is used to examine the many ways texts can be examined. Michael Holiday (1978) language can be interpreted by context. Social Semiotics is important in the ways that people communicate with one another, and how important it is to understand context clues and other social interactions.

    

    Some rules that are applied in the methodology is the constant flow of understanding messages being delivered to an individual from another, and having a perception of that voice as well as the context of the communication experience. The sense of relevance in the conversation to apply meaning to the context of the conversation and lastly having a prior knowledge or ideas to the conversation or meaning before the context of the conversation. When we apply to images, a common use for images in terms of social communication is memes. A popular way for people to communicate, and tell stories in a way without directly saying anything. Using these in context and putting them into blogs and other forms of communication can be used to apply importance on the images as well.

The Two images I used are memes found online. The one on the left draws in the viewer by putting the image directly in the middle of the frame to imply the importance to the poster. Now looking at variety of different social media posts, the formatting of these images also play in a role of tone for their posts. This one in particular seems to use it as a fun and ironic way to connect to the public. The image on the right however, does not seem to have a proper origin of social media, but it is used as a way to make notes on a relationship in two different situation, but with similar outcomes. While trying to remain humorous by placing two images side by side representing the implied context.

Bibiography

Gualberto, C. & Kress, G. (forthcoming, 2018) ‘Social Semiotics’, chapter in the International Encyclopedia of Media Literacy, edited by Renee Hobbs and Paul Mihailidis, NY: Wiley-Blackwell. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Clarice-Gualberto/publication/325764226_Social_Semiotics/links/5b229735a6fdcc69746119b9/Social-Semiotics.pdf