Social Semiotics for Social Media Visuals

2022 ◽  
pp. 548-570
Author(s):  
Hossam Mohamed Elhamy

The social semiotics approach examines the meaning-making process in order to demonstrate how meaning is constructed in social actions and contexts. The rising interest of researchers in social media and its widespread use in society have both highlighted new challenges for data analysis. Social semiotics can provide a deep understanding of the visual grammar of the social media meaning-making process by assuming that this process is considered a social practice. The main objective of this chapter is to guide researchers and enable them to use the social semiotic approach as a research tool for the analysis of visuals in the social media environment. The chapter introduces the key elements, principles, assumptions, and rules of using the social semiotics approach in the analysis, understanding, and interpretations of social media visuals and how to explore the role played by visual elements in the meaning-making process in a social media within a specific social context.

Author(s):  
Michael A. Brown Sr.

George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That statement is the reason social communication is covered here with a historical view. This review of computer mediated communications (CMC) is important in understanding some of the key developments that created the social media environment we know today. A discussion of the portable nature of these communications is relevant as the foundation for a deep understanding of social communication. This is an important analysis in helping people understand the way we can use information technology to interact without the limitations of geographical distance and time.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziwei Yang

Abstract Social media is a virtual community or network platform that the public uses to achieve self-creation and it’s sharing with others; under the social media environment, self-media channels become more abundant, and the autonomy and originality of content dissemination are also continuously enhanced. When tourism enterprises face increasing market competition, personalized and targeted promotional programs will, to a certain extent, have a certain appeal to competitors’ potential customer groups, thereby providing tourism enterprise customers with relevant benefits for oriental information, and also serving as an important way for companies to develop new customers. Based on the summary and analysis of previous literature works, this paper expounded the research status and significance of social media environment, elaborated the development background, current status and future challenges of customer-oriented information analysis for tourism enterprises, introduced the methods and principles of customer’s transfer value and life cycle and social media environment’s cognitive composition, proposed a sentiment model of tourist-oriented information analysis under the social media environment, and analysed the management strategy and scheduling platform of customer-oriented information, constructed an analysis system of customer-oriented information in social media environment, performed the reliability, validity, transfer and perception value analysis of customer-oriented information and finally conducted case simulation and its result analysis. The study results of this paper provide a reference for further researches on the customer-oriented information analysis for tourism enterprises under the social media environment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azweed Mohamad ◽  
Radzuwan Ab Rashid ◽  
Kamariah Yunus ◽  
Shireena Basree Abdul Rahman ◽  
Saadiyah Darus ◽  
...  

This paper discusses the speech acts in Facebook Status Updates posted by an apostate of Islam. The Facebook Timeline was observed for a duration of two years (January 2015 to December 2016). More than 4000 postings were made in the data collection period. However, only 648 postings are related to apostasy. The data were classified according to the types of speech acts. Expressive speech act is the most frequent speech act (33%, n=215), followed by the directive (27%, n=177), assertive (22%, n=141), and commissive (18%, n=115), respectively. Based on the speech acts used, it is discernible that the apostate attempts to engage other Facebook users and persuade them into accepting her ideology while gaining their support. This paper is novel in the sense that it puts forth the social actions of an apostate which is very scarce in literature. It is also methodologically innovative as it uses social media postings as a tool to explore the apostate’s social actions in an online space.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-544
Author(s):  
Daniel Zomeño ◽  
Rocío Blay-Arráez

Media convergence and the incorporation of new narratives typical of the consumption habits of younger audiences in the social media environment have led to the proliferation of a wide variety of formats and types of content in the media ecosystem through which the editorial content offered to brands is being distributed. This qualitative research, using in-depth interviews with a qualified sample of branded content managers from the main Spanish media, allows us to determine the main characteristics of the native advertising demanded by advertisers. The results corroborate observations that content channelled through more sophisticated consumption experiences, using both multimedia and interactivity with a clear transmedia approach, tends to be better received by the audience and, therefore, in greater demand by brands. It also confirms that both video and social media formats have grown exponentially when it comes to providing an outlet for branded content. Based on the results obtained, a proposed classification of these products, including definitions, has been drawn up so they can be publicised to the professional world, offering the reflection and precision that their rapid development has not allowed until now.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 893
Author(s):  
Clarice Gualberto ◽  
Záira Santos ◽  
Ana Clara Meira

Abstract: In this paper, we attempt to provide some ways of thinking about text, relating it to the concept of metaphors, multimodality and texture. Our aim is to develop new insights in meaning making and communication more generally, by bringing examples of memes; a relatively new genre, often seen on social media posts. To do so, we discuss the notion of text (HALLIDAY; HASAN, 2002; BEAUGRANDE, 1997; KRESS, 2010) and then, we discuss texture as a semiotic resource for the production of texts and its metaphors (DJONOV; VAN LEEUWEN, 2011). To exemplify some concepts and categories, we explore memes, seeking to understand their constitution as well as their qualities and potential meanings of visual textures deployed in the text to make meaning material through multimodal metaphors.Keywords: text; texture; social semiotics; multimodal metaphors.Resumo: Neste artigo, pretendemos propor algumas maneiras para se pensar a noção de texto, relacionando-a aos conceitos de metáfora, multimodalidade e textura. Nosso objetivo é desenvolver novos insights a respeito da produção de sentido e da comunicação de forma geral. Como exemplo, trazemos  memes com o bordão “É verdade esse bilete”. Como esse gênero é relativamente novo e frequentemente visto em posts nas redes sociais, discutimos a noção de texto (HALLIDAY; HASAN, 2002; BEAUGRANDE, 1997; KRESS, 2010) e de textura como um recurso semiótico para a produção de textos e suas metáforas (DJONOV; VAN LEEUWEN, 2011). Para exemplificar algumas noções e categorias, exploramos os memes, buscando compreender como eles se constituem, assim como suas qualidades e seus possíveis sentidos de texturas visuais utilizadas para produção de metáforas multimodais.Palavras-chave: texto; textura; semiótica social; metáforas multimodais.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian He ◽  
Hongjian Qu

Social media, represented by WeChat and micro-blog, has become an indispensable communication tool for human beings. The social media advertising that extends in this environment has also become the focus of enterprise marketing. Based on the brand attitude as the intermediary variable, this paper studies the influence of advertising appeal on the purchase intention under the socialized media environment, and tries to clarify the influence mechanism between the advertising appeal and the consumer purchase intention. Through the related literature, we find out the relationship between the advertising appeal and the brand state and the purchase intention. Put forward relevant research proposals, to enterprises in the social media environment advertising marketing pointed out a new direction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-93
Author(s):  
Chammah J. Kaunda

AbstractThis article employs a public theology approach from the perspective of a decolonial theory. It analyses how the Declaration of Zambia as a Christian Nation functioned as a nationalist neo-colonial ideology during the presidential campaign of 2016. It did so in a way that was designed to legitimize President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s political candidacy and moral authority within the Pentecostal-Charismatic religious sector. The analysis seeks to demonstrate how the Declaration and the photography of the social media presidential campaign intersected in order to represent the image of Lungu as an idea Christian President. Informed by a thematic analysis and a decolonial public theology, the article unmasks and exposes how ideology can become normalized as social practice within a particular historical context. The theological-ethnographic material within the analysis was collected during the period from January 2016 to February 2017.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
Christian Carvajal-Miranda ◽  
Luis Mañas-Viniegra ◽  
Li Liang

The COVID-19 epidemic was the first universal health crisis since China entered the era of mobile social media. When Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) broke out in 2003, it was not until almost six years later that Weibo was born, marking China’s entry into the era of mobile social media (Weixin 2020). In this context, this research analysed the role of the social media platform Weibo and the Internet search browser Baidu, in a government controlled online media environment, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to undertake this study, we applied the use of content and sentiment analysis to the discourse identified through the topics published during the investigation period, which encompassed 15 December 2019 until 15 March 2020. From the findings of this study, we concluded that, during the pre- and post-COVID-19 period, there was an important presence of social and lifestyle topic categories dominating the online discourse, which dramatically changed in correlation to the increasing spread of the disease. Additionally, there was a marked absence of topics in relation to economic and political information, and there was a notable absence of an official Government “voice” generating topics.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 211
Author(s):  
Klaudia Smoląg ◽  
Anna Lemańska-Majdzik

<p>The development of information and communication technology significantly determines how enterprises conduct their activities. The use of ICT solutions is visible in each area of the functioning of enterprises, in particular in activities aimed at promotion of products and services. The aim of all promotional activities is to exercise influence on the current and future customers of a company. They involve providing customers with information to increase their knowledge about the products and services and the company itself. In today's digital economic life, in order to reach potential customers and retain the existing ones, companies have to observe and quickly adapt ICT solutions. Key ICT solutions include social media, which have had a significant impact on both the social and economic life. The growing number of social media users contributed to changes in the form and way of communicating and building mutual relations. Moreover, the final say on many issues belongs more and more often to people for whom Internet communication is an integral part of life, which undoubtedly is a clear signal that preferences of today's and future consumers are undergoing a diametrical change. This change in consumers' preferences, expectations and needs forces enterprises to use effective ways of communication and new forms of providing information to a specific target group. Social media users constitute an increasing group that often actively joins promotional activities undertaken by a company. In addition, the social media environment enables presentation of information that is characterised by high quality, elaborate content and interesting form (text, photos, animation or films). These are only some of the factors in favour of the use of social media in the promotional activity of enterprises. However, the modern reality as well as extended functionality and variety of  social media are on the one hand conducive to building and maintaining relations with customers, while on the other hand, they requires appropriate preparation of a strategy of action in a new, virtual economic world.</p><p class="AbstractText">The aim of the paper is to analyse, based on literature studies, the assumptions of enterprises' strategies of action in the social media environment, with particular reference to fanpage. Based on the results of own studies of a group of 172 Polish users of social media conducted at the end of 2015, key actions taken by users on fanpages were indicated, and significant elements influencing the proper structure of fanpage from the user's perspective were presented.</p>


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