Social Semiotics

Today, we will be looking at two images through the lens of Social Semiotics. What is Social Semiotics? Well, it is the field of study that examines three things: 1) how signs, symbols, and images are a part of our lives, 2) how meaning is created and then interpreted in different contexts, and 3) the various modes of communication (Green). This would include things like photographs, but also paintings, emojis, street signs, and much more. Social Semiotics was first “discovered” by Michael Halliday, who looked at how signs and symbols contribute to meaning making, and then was later expanded to the field of visual communication by Gunther Kress. Social Semiotics and the field of Visual Communication are important since many signs, symbols, images, etc., can transcend language and culture, giving us an avenue for global connection (among the more obvious benefits, such as the efficiency of communicating, and an enhanced understanding and engagement level). 

There are two rules in Social Semiotics that instruct us how to analyze images:

    1) Vertical Positioning and Meaning Making

                ~ Top of the Image: represents ideals, aspirations, goals, and what can be/is imagined

                ~ Bottom of the Image: represents reality, facts, everyday life, and what is already known. 

    2) Horizontal Positioning and Meaning Making

                ~ Left of the Image: represents what is known, explicit

                ~ Right of the Image: represents what is new, unknown

Interpretation is not limited to these rules, however, and is also dependent on color, composition, signs, and symbols. Above all, much of the meaning-making process is dependent of social and cultural background, context, and the audience (Green). So while one person may use the rules of Social Semiotics, another may not, but it doesn’t mean one interpretation is more “correct.” 

First, we will look at this image. I took this photo, as well as the one we will look at next, but I will be looking at them through the lens of the rules of Vertical and Horizontal Positioning. We will start at the top of the image, which represents aspirations and imagination— there is a cat hammock on the window, and perhaps the viewer could imagine that she sleeps there sometimes. The cat is sitting on my legs, she is warm and cozy and everything is perfect in the world. At the Bottom — reality. I am laying on my stomach, stuck there with the cat on my legs, following the unwritten rule that once a cat sits on you, you cannot get up. The Left and Right of the image is interesting, since I am positioned almost completely in the middle. The Left represents what is known — there is an air conditioner, perhaps it is summer. The Right represents the unknown, what else is on the wall? 

Next, this image (one of my fav memories!!). We will begin at the  Top again, which represents the idealized and imagined — the gorgeous theater and bright lights indicate a fun night ahead. Tall city buildings poke up into the top. The red letters of “Paramount” stand out against the black sky, lighting up the night. And the Bottom — what is know. There is a “Giggly Squad” showing at the Paramount, I stand in front of it, across the street. City lights reflect against the street, indicating the cold and wet conditions. People wait outside in the cold and rain to be able to go in, where I will be standing after crossing the crosswalk behind me. Next, the Left — what is given and known, we’re in a city, probably a big one considering the modern and techie design of the blue building. Lastly, the Right — what is new. What is that building we’re going into? What show are we seeing? What is going to happen in there? 

Works Cited

    Green, Julia. 2024. “Visual Communication: Analyzing Photos Through Social Semiotics.” OSU.