Unveiling Ecological Narratives: A Multimodal Analysis of Top Pakistani Pharmaceutical Companies' Web Pages

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate six Pakistani pharmaceutical companies' web pages through multimodal analysis. It attempted to sensitize various semiotic modes in designing websites that represent ecological discourses. Language and media play a crucial role in forming the ideology of the masses about the importance of ecological sustainability for human existence. The current study followed three different theoretical frameworks suggested by Kress and van Leeuwen's (2008) Multimodality Theory, van Leeuwen's (2008) Social Actor and Social Action Approach to Language Analysis, and Stibbe's (2015) Ecological Ideology of Erasure and Salience in the shape of conceptualized analytical modal. The following conceptualized analytical model examined multiple semiotic modes from the perspective of ecolinguistics. For this purpose, a purposive sampling technique was employed in selecting websites, keeping the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan's 2019 ranking in view. A total of six photos were selected, one from each website. The research showed that Pakistani pharmaceutical companies have used a variety of semiotic modes, including image, color contrast, huge, bold text size, and diverse pictures, to design their websites. The study's findings suggest that agencies largely use language erasure and salience methods to create positive and ambivalent narratives while concealing themselves to shift responsibility for ecological destructions. The web page makes it simpler for consumers to consume the medicine without considering the environmental effects by removing the context and location of the medicine. To shed light on environmental pollution and sustainability in Pakistan, future research should delve into sophisticated models of statistical analysis, ecolinguistic ideas such as conviction, metaphor, and (re)framing, advanced methods of analysis, and amplifying the voices of marginalized populations often overlooked in previous studies.