Visual Communication Online

 Visual Communication Online - Social Semiotics 

Social semiotics is a social theory that analyzes the variety of ways that texts can be made. The theory was mainly developed by Gunther Kress,  as well as 'setting the theoretical and empirical foundations of the very concept of multimodality' (UCL Press, 2022). Within the social semiotics theory, it encompasses more than one mode including writing, speech, music and layout. These modes are the material resources that make meaning evident. This theory allows us to communicate through different modes that represent the world and the relationships we have with one another. 

Within the methodology, it is important to recognize that the different modes offer specific events or knowledge about history or socially shared opinions. On top of that, these modes are also socially shaped. They build over a long period of time and gain meaning to relate to culturally and socially significant communication. To further analyze images through the social semiotics method it is important to recognized the signifier and the signified. The signifier is the 'thing' that is being 'read' like an image or drawing. The signified is the idea or meaning being expressed by the signifier. 

We see the idea of a signifier and the signified a lot in advertisement. For example, in the picture shown below, the signifier would be the the onion and the signified would be the bad odor. Which of course would be diminished by Febreze. 

Moving away from just images, gestures can also mean a lot through the lens of social semiotics. For example, one of the most known and understood gestures is a 'thumbs up' but it might not mean the same in every place. The signifier in this case would be the thumbs up while the signified would be that one is a good mood or they are communicating that you are doing a good job. 

Works Cited:

Design in Gunther Kress’s social semiotics. (n.d.-a). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1365431.pdf

Social Semiotics. (n.d.-b). https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Clarice-Gualberto/publication/325764226_Social_Semiotics/links/5b229735a6fdcc69746119b9/Social-Semiotics.pdf

Social Semiotics. Glossary of multimodal terms. (2012, November 22). https://multimodalityglossary.wordpress.com/social-semiotics/