Social Semiotics (and My Cats)

Social semiotics is a method of analyzing visual imagery in social contexts, focusing on how we interperet and make meaning from signs, symbols, photographs, drawings ... even things like gestures and other forms of nonverbal communication. The term was coined by Michael Halliday and the concept was expanded on by Gunther Kress. 

The idea is important for different reasons in different contexts. In everyday "real life" communication, it's critical to remember that people we're in communication with are absorbing far more than the words we're saying or writing, and they are including everything they are seeing in the context into which they're placing our words. If we even use words, that is. There are lots of times when communication is ONLY done through semiotics. I'm building Ikea furniture right now, for example, and there's not a single word in this instruction booklet. 

In online contexts, it's important to take this into consideration, because our ability to convey meaning through visual means is limited. We can put photos and graphics in our blog posts, we can use emojis and use punctuation intentionally in our texts ... we can even communicate over video, but the camera can only see so much. 

And I have no control over what your environment looks like, just like you have no control over mine. If you send me an email and I've got 150 other tabs open and papers scattered around my desk and a full trash can at my feet because I forgot to empty it on garbage day, then all of that visual clutter is going to become context for the way I perceive your message. Especially if you don't include any visual elements of your own.

I have to admit I'm a bit confused about the question "What are some of the rules associated with the methodology?" because the rules that were talked about in the lecture were very specific to photography, and do not apply to things like graphic design, or signmaking, or technical illustration, or the use of physical gestures while communicating - all of which are part of social semiotics. There are different rules for each of these categories that all differ by culture and context.

In the lecture, the rules for photography are that the top of the image conveys hope and aspiration, while the bottom is more grounded. The left side is what is known, and the right side is what is unknown. (I wonder if this is true in cultures that read right-to-left?) Balanced composition provides a sense of stability, and an asymmetrical composition conveys an off-kilter feeling. And colors provide meaning too, though this also varies greatly by culture. 

Here's an easy photo to analyze. 



This is a cluster of redwood trees, taken in Felton, CA. The sky is at the top, symbolizing what the trees are reaching towards. The trees get thicker as the photo moves towards the bottom, and although I didn't capture their roots, the viewer knows they're there. The image is roughly symmetrical, though I wasn't looking at one tree in particular, I was more interested in what the sky looked like between the leaves. The image is bright and hopeful, and the blue of the sky creates calm, while the green and reddish-brown of the trees are natural and earthy. 

And here are my cats, Patty and Marsha.



I don't really know how to apply the social semiotics method of photo analysis to this one ... or most pictures of my cats, for that matter. The top of the photo is the top of the couch, and the bottom is the seat. I guess the top is where a person's head goes, and we aspire to braininess, while the seat keeps us firmly planted on the ground? Patty is on the left. She is solid. Marsha is on the right. She is more of a wildcard. They just happened to sit in this order, but if I were composing this picture based on social semiotics methods, that's where I'd put them. The brown couch with the yellow lamp light creates a cozy and warm feeling. 

And now it's dawning on me that maybe we were supposed to pick professional photos? But I really wanted to show you a photo of my cats, so hopefully this works. 

It's been fun blogging with all of you this term --- maybe I'll see some of you around in other classes in the future!

-a