Social Semiotics

 

    Social semiotics is a communication approach focusing on making sense of the way people communicate dependent on their social settings. An element of this is called multimodality, which acknowledges how meaning is created through different "modes", like speech, gestures and pictures. It is concerned with signs and symbols, and the same these change based on context (Veltri, 2). It was championed by Michael Halliday, a British linguistic who developed the core principles of systemic functional linguistics (O'Hagan, 2). More modern social semiotics has continued to build on his work even critiquing it. Scholar Lauren Alex O'Hagan explains that the theory has "come under scrutiny for the way in which it derives context from texts without accounting for the broader social practices, processes and people involved in their production or reception" (O'Hagan, 2). 
    Some rules associated with the methodology are focusing on cultural context, specifically in visuals (Long & He, 508). There is a focus on the "internal relationship between the parts of a self-contained system, attempting to explore the use of symbols in particular social situations." (Long & He, 508). One should consider the composition of the image, the framing, what is in the photograph and what it is trying to convey. 


This photo was taken in Portland, OR outside of Portland State University last week. In analyzing this photo, I notice the Palestinian signs, what appears to be a mass of protestors as they hold up a sign powerfully. Everyone is wearing masks, with I assume to be due to the size of the crowd as well as preserving a protestor's anonymity. The framing of the photo puts the flags in center view. The color green is very present in the trees, and the contrast between it and the red of the flags jumps out. Considering cultural contexts, this photo is representative of many students in universities across the country protesting the genocide in Gaza. The ideologies in this photo present are support for a nation being attacked senselessly and calling for a ceasefire. This is intended to show support by showcasing the amount of people present at an important scholarly setting. 


This photograph depicts a mural in honor of George Floyd in downtown Portland, OR. Looking at the image, the portrait of George Floyd is centered, with his name written on the left and the statement he uttered before he was murder to the right. The photograph shows the glass of building behind boards that cover the majority of its surface. There are objects placed in front of the artwork, as if to honor someone. Considering cultural contexts, the mural was painted on a boarded up Apple Store nearby BLM protests occurred in 2020. It was a way of educating and protesting the senseless death of Black Americans from police brutality. This image was taken during the height of Black Lives Matter protests that occurred in the city. Portland was a hub for this protesting, attracting the attention of the nation on news broadcasting sites. George Floyd's name is now a symbol of police brutality, but also one of protest and resistance. 






Works Cited:
Lauren Alex O’Hagan (17 Jan 2023): In search of the social in social semiotics: a historical perspective, Social Semiotics, DOI: 10.1080/10350330.2023.2167594
Veltri, Giuseppe A. (2015). Social semiotics and social representations. University of Leicester. Chapter. https://hdl.handle.net/2381/32070 
Long Jinshun , He Jun (2021). Social Semiotics and the Related Interpretation. Atlantis Press. https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/isemss-21/125959827

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