Social Semiotics and Social Media

 Poulsen, S. V., & Kvåle, G. (2018). Studying social media as semiotic technology: A social semiotic multimodal framework. Social Semiotics, 28(5), 700–717. https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2018.1505689

I found an article (cited above) that created a framework to match social semiotics to social and digital media. We've been discussing social media recently in the class and since this IS an online communication course, the article seemed especially pertinent.

If I boil down the term 'semiotics', it's basically how symbols and signs are interpreted. Michael Halliday pushed a little further on this and decided to include language in the social semiotic system. A bit later on, Gunther Kress pushed a little further on this definition to include other types of communication like images and gestures. This multimodality, or the use of multiple semiotics, is fairly recent but important because it includes more modern forms of communication like digital or social media that can include images and videos.

The placement of visual elements is important in social semiotic methodology. Whether elements or photos are placed in the top, right, left, bottom, convey meaning and importance. For example, elements placed at the top represent the ideal while elements placed at the bottom represent real. Left provides "familiar" meaning while right side placement conveys new. Placing items in the middle of a visual element puts it in a place of importance while elements on the edges support the middle element.

Here are a couple of example photos that I've analyzed:

I pulled this photo from the University of Glasgow's page for Archaeology. The subjects and the action are centered in the photo this highlights their importance! To the left is the professor, the one who is familiar with the technique and to the right of him are two students who are looking on. It's clear that he's showing them some kind of excavation technique. To the left are empty buckets with additional tools to support the action happening in the center of the frame.

This image is from University College London's website for Archaeology. I like that there is a bit of motion implied in this because as we mentioned above, left is familiarity and right is new. The subjects in the photo appear to be moving diagonally, from bottom left to upper right. Their destination in the somewhat center meaning their destination is important.