Semiotic Research Articles

Photography and Destination Image: An Analysis of China Eastern Airline Facebook Photographs

ABSTRACT The main purpose of this study is to explore the projected destination image represented by photographs emerging in social media from a potential DMO member. The official page of China Eastern Airlines on Facebook (@CEAir) was selected as a case study, in which a total of 40 photographs were collected and classified into five groups according to their themes. To identify the destination image of China, five groups of photographs were analyzed by using visual analysis, semiotic analysis, and multimodal discourse analysis. The main findings show that Chinese food, architecture, natural landscape, people, and ethnic minorities are common signs engaging in constructing the destination image of China. These photographs mainly adopted wide shots and brilliant color tones, which convey to overseas tourists that China is a great power with a long history, full of charm, and a contributor to global development. More importantly, not only landscape photography but also still life photography, candid photography, and travel photography are all considered to be modes of representation of the destination image. Different genres of photography employ Chinese culture as a special gaze to shape the destination image.

Inclusion, Equality and Educational Justice: Enhancing Social-Emotional Learning through Children’s Literature in a Diverse and Segregated Society

Children’s literature is an essential channel for providing children with social-emotional skills. This is particularly so in diverse and segregated societies where the need for enhancing awareness and acceptance of the Other is acute. Based on the content and semiotic analysis of 25 titles included in the state program “March of Books,” the present study examines how, if at all, social-emotional skills are reflected in the Hebrew-language children’s literature in Israel. Since the selected titles reflect all skill categories determined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the findings indicate that these selected titles can support children’s social-emotional learning (SEL). Nevertheless, the selected titles lack focus on a specific category within each text. Moreover, in a manner typical of Jewish-Israeli education, the selected titles expose young readers to their specific cultures and others through translated literature that highlights gender, Jewish-ethnic, physical, and age equality. At the same time, the selected titles tend to marginalize the culture of the Arab minority. The article concludes that education programs seeking to promote SEL through children’s literature must balance all SEL categories, represent the learners’ social differences, expose the readers to other cultures, and inculcate pluralist values.

Consuming communist heritage in China: user-generated image of red tourism via photographs

Purpose As a distinctive form of communist heritage tourism, the ideology and government-led form of red tourism warrants an in-depth examination of how tourists consume and perceive it. This study aims to reveal tourists’ perception of red tourism through the lens of destination image. Design/methodology/approach This study collected 9,819 user-generated photographs within four types of red tourism destinations (RTDs) and used a computer visual and semiotic analysis approach to conduct photograph-based cognitive and affective attributes extraction. Network analysis further visualized the co-relations between cognitive images and affective images. ANOVA analysis compared the differences of the four types of destination images. Findings Ten dimensions of cognitive image and eight categories of affective image of red tourism were identified. It found that monuments, statues, memorial symbols were the distinctive cognitive features, and admiration was the most dominant emotion. Heterogeneity of destination images was identified among the four types of RTDs. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study is one of the first to explore tourists’ consumption of red tourism through the lens of destination image, which reveals the inconsistencies between the officially projected images and tourists’ perceived images of red tourism. Using Plutchik’s model, it validates a series of positive and negative emotions contributing to the affective images of red tourism, which expands the findings of emotions within the extant red tourism research. Through combined applications of computer visual and semiotic analysis, ANOVA, network analysis and model visualization, the study provides an important methodological triangulation for photograph-based destination image studies.

Balinese Cultural Diplomacy Through Culinary Products: A Study of Semiothic Communication

Besides having a wealth of arts and culture, Bali's cultural tourism potential is also in the form of traditional culinary products. What is the variety of traditional Balinese culinary? Why can traditional Balinese culinary products be used as an effective means of communication and Balinese cultural diplomacy? As a form of qualitative research, research data was collected through literature, observation and interviews with observers of Balinese culture. The collected data is then analyzed with the semiotic theory of communication. The results of the study show that traditional Balinese food and beverage culinary products are part of the archipelago's cuisine which are formulated from local agricultural ingredients, packaged and served in a distinctive way, and have tantalizing flavors so that they develop into culinary tourism objects favored by tourists. Apart from being the cultural identity of the Balinese people, traditional Balinese culinary products are also an effective means of communication and Balinese cultural diplomacy. People who enjoy traditional Balinese culinary dishes will be more familiar with Balinese traditions and culture. Traditional Balinese culinary tourism needs to be maintained and developed. Keywords: culinary products, Bali, cultural diplomacy

A computational linguistic methodology for assessing semiotic structure in prehistoric art and the meaning of southern Scandinavian Mesolithic ornamentation

Non-figurative prehistoric art is comparatively common yet challenging to decode and hence to understand. At the heart of the difficulty of assessing the presence of semiotic structure in prehistoric art is a lack of appropriate, replicable, and case-transferable methodologies. We here propose a novel approach derived from computational linguistics, in which k-skip-n-gram (skipgram) models and associated pointwise mutual information (PMI) measures are customised to the analysis of prehistoric art. In applying this methodology to a large corpus of portable art from the South Scandinavian Mesolithic, we demonstrate how the mutual relationship between individual motifs can be established. In the case of Mesolithic portable art, our analysis strongly suggests that there is no evident semiotic structure – this was likely not a form of proto-writing – but salient changes of motif occurrence over time are detectable. These changes are sensitive to changes in population density, structure, and connectedness, and may relate to increased territoriality in the Late Mesolithic. The method presented here is readily case-transferable and renders possible further linguistic and semiotic analyses of prehistoric art.

Despair, Hope, And Politics: A Semiotic Analysis Of Online Media Cartoons On The Turkey And Syria Earthquake 2023

The Turkey and Syria earthquake of 2023 caused widespread devastation and loss of life, resulting in widespread despair and hopelessness among the people. In the aftermath of the disaster, social media was flooded with caricatures that sought to represent the political and social realities of the affected regions. This research paper presents a semiotic analysis of online media cartoons using the Barthesian modal to understand the representation of despair, hope, and politics in the context of the Turkey and Syria earthquake of 2023. Through a qualitative analysis of purposively sampled cartoons, this study explores how dominant emotions and political messages are conveyed through visual and textual elements and how they shape public perception of the event. The findings suggest that the cartoons use a range of semiotic modalities, such as images, text, and symbolic representations, to convey political messages about the earthquake and its aftermath. The paper contributes to the growing research on semiotics and visual communication. It highlights the potential of online cartoons as a rich source of social and political insights in the context of the earthquake and how people respond to it.

Analisis Semiotik Iklan Politik Prabowo Gibran Pada Pilpres 2024

General elections are a crucial moment in the life of the nation and state. This moment is used by political figures to build positive perceptions through political advertising. Political advertising has the main function as a strategic communication tool in the democratic process. This research aims to uncover the meaning and communication strategies used in Prabowo Gibran's political advertisements during the 2024 Presidential Election. The focus of this research is to decipher the symbolic meaning and messages contained in political advertisements using Charles Sanders Pierce's semiotic theory as a basis for exploring the signs- signs that appear in these political advertisements. By referring to Charles Sanders Pierce's semiotic theory, this research tries to identify and analyze the signs that appear in the Prabowo Gibran couple's political advertisements, both visual and verbal. Charles Sanders Pierce's semiotic analysis carried out by outlining three important components, namely Sign, Object, Interpretant, shows that political advertisements have a distinctive communication style as part of their political communication strategy. Semiotic analysis also places this advertisement in the positive category, indicating that the message conveyed is able to create meaning that supports the positive image of the couple.

Resistance Againts Patriarchal Cultural Hegemony on Instagram @laviaminora

This research constitutes a qualitative descriptive analysis using Roland Barthes' semiotic theory, focusing on the concepts of denotation and connotation. Centered around the Instagram account @laviaminora, the study describes and analyzes messages of resistance against patriarchal hegemony manifested in visual texts. Employing semiotic analysis methods, this research highlights how signs of sexuality in the account serve as a form of critique against sexual repression and societal norms in Indonesia.Research findings indicate that the sexuality represented in @laviaminora is not merely a denotation of reality but also carries connotations that create subjective and emotional meanings. The account successfully constructs a narrative of resistance against longstanding myths related to patriarchal culture, emphasizing the values of women's freedom. In the context of Indonesian patriarchal society, the socio-cultural construction of sexuality is identified as a tool to maintain male dominance over women.The research concludes that @laviaminora creatively utilizes semiotics as a means to critique and resist patriarchal norms that continue to influence social and cultural life in Indonesia.

Decolonizing gender through ICT: a semiotic analysis of web images from Two-Spirit people websites

ABSTRACT Freedom of self-expression is essential for human development. Recent studies have investigated ICT’s role in bringing visibility to activist movements working to improve the lives of gender and sexual minorities. However, this literature often characterizes visibility based on gender or sexuality alone, with little regard for ethnic identity and gender traditions of Indigenous cultures. This paper conducts a semiotic analysis of images from Two-Spirit websites to examine how websites bring visibility to Two-Spirit people. Two-Spirit is a contemporary term used by Indigenous Peoples of North America that denotes the fluidity of gender identity through the coexistence of feminine and masculine qualities. The analysis shows how values of empowerment, supportiveness, and restoration in web images bring visibility to Two-Spirit people through cultural emancipation. This study contributes to the ICT for development literature by broadening our understanding of ICT’s role in bringing visibility to efforts for self-expression free of racism and homophobia.

Design Semiotics and the Economy of Surplus-Enjoyment

Abstract This article extends the remit of Saussurean semiotics from design criticism to design theory. It does this by invoking concepts from the work of psychoanalytic theorist Jacques Lacan. It begins by exploring the role of the signifier in Lacan's theory of language and connects it to concepts of subjectivity, desire, and surplus-enjoyment. This leads to the hypothesis that the essence of design is the production of surplus-enjoyment—a hypothesis at odds with the notion that design exists to meet human needs. The article concludes by showing how semiotic theory by way of Lacan can be used to explore the cultural, subjective, and social dimensions of the design artifact in new and productive ways. The work is intended to be accessible even to readers who are unfamiliar with Lacan's work.

Signs And Meanings Of Pamali Utterances In The Religiosity Of Kampung Naga Indigenous Communities: A Semiotic Theory Perspective

This research is motivated by differences in people's beliefs regarding the Pamali (taboo) tradition, which is considered by some groups to represent wisdom, but by as a type of superstition that must be avoided. This results in the Pamali tradition beginning to be marginalised from modern life. However, in the Kampung Naga, one of the villages in Indonesia , the tradition is still maintained in the practice of religion and modernisation. The paper aims to analyse Pamali utterances based on the perspective of semiotic theory and their relationship with the religiosity of the Kampung Naga indigenous community. The qualitative research uses an phenomenological design that applies linguistic theory as an analytical tool. It was found that according to the theory of meaning, Pamali utterances are based on the relevance of the relationship between sign, referent, and interpretant. Pamali is interpreted as taboo by society, and therefore people do not violate it. The content of the message in Pamali utterances is in harmony with the content of the Islamic message, so the reflection is a crystallisation of the religious teachings adhered to by the village people.

REPRESENTATION OF CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN AQUA’s ADVERTISEMENT “SAMBUT KEBAIKAN RAMADHAN BERSAMA AQUA”

Abstract. Relize or not, advertising is very close to human life. Mass media can display tens or even hundreds of advertisements every day. Therefore, effective and attractive advertisements are needed to attract customers. In general, advertising uses the hard selling method, but now it has turned into soft selling, which does not introduce or sell products directly. Therefore, this research will discuss the representation of customer loyalty in AQUA's advertisement "Sambut Kebaikan Ramadan Bersama AQUA". The method used is qualitative with Roland Barthes semiotic analysis. The results of this study show that AQUA's advertisement "Sambut Kebaikan Ramadan Bersama AQUA'' successfully portrays customer loyalty through the usage of strong signs and hidden meanings. At the denotative level, this AQUA advertisement presents an image of loyal AQUA customers who consume AQUA products joyfully during Ramadan. At the connotative level, this advertisement connects the usage of AQUA products with the values of kindness, spirituality, and brotherhood associated with Ramadan. At the mythological level, this AQUA advertisement builds a narrative that describes AQUA’s customers as part of a solid and loving community. In this context, customer loyalty is represented as a form of adherence to the values embraced by the community, which is signified by the consumption of AQUA’s products.Keywords: Advertisement, Representation, Loyalty, Semiotic

The shitposting scattergun approach: A multimodal analysis of the first wave COVID-19 social media messaging from UKGov

This article analyses the type and style of the UK government social media messaging during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic using multimodal and social semiotic analysis. Images improve health communication by increasing comprehension of information, enhancing recall of instructions, encouraging positive self-protective attitudes and behaviour and are beneficial to those with low health literacy skills. When done well, visual material can meaningfully improve health outcomes. UKGov’s social media during COVID-19 reveals that production of mental noise and feed flooding can affect perceptions of risk. Recognizing the impact that both visuals and social media campaigns can have in crisis communication, this article first explores the steps in creating the social communication and then analyses social media posts during the first four months of the pandemic from UKGov Facebook and Instagram accounts. This article employs a multimodal social semiotic methodology to organize, code and make sense of the often contradictory and ambiguous meanings contained in a vast trove of visual data. Ultimately, this article argues that the UKGov’s ‘scattergun’ approach to the first wave COVID-19 infographics enhanced polysemic meanings and flooded social media feeds with ‘shitposting’ philosophy, which decreased clarity of understanding and potentially impacted health literacy amongst the UK populous.

Editorial

The editorial places our studies into a wider context linking together the different studies which cover election campaigning protest and the Covid-19 crisis. The works focus firstly on the crisis communication strategies of Nordic political leaders and secondly on the UK government’s social media messaging. Both these also offer insights into the tools of social media, multimodal and social semiotic analysis. Moving away from the pandemic we also offer insights into the work of photojournalists and their framing of Zimbabwean election contenders. Finally, for those interested in how facial expressions betray emotions, and how expressions can be read, the final article offers significant methodological insights on the use of Facial Action Coding System tools. Rounding off with a review of a recent handbook in the field, the editorial introduces this issue as one born out of and launched into a long hot political summer.

Identity in university students: The semiotic work of making sense of yourself

The development of a deepened sense of self in young adults is a complex process. In this paper, we report on an interdisciplinary research project on identity formation among students at the University of the Free State from the perspective of semiotic work. Based on work in psychology and semiotics, we interviewed fifty-seven students about their identity. In particular, we asked students to bring along ‘something’ that they thought represents their identity, and we asked them to explain their choice. We first performed a semiotic analysis on the representations the students brought and then coded their motivations for themes. We found identity formation along the lines suggested by existing literature, with themes related to the importance of finding both an authentic and relational sense of self in a growth process that contains elements of hardship and strength. The study did, however, find two points of interests, namely the fact that very few students brought a material representation with them as well as the fact that students oscillated between resilience and succumbing to pressure.

MITOS DALAM KAMPANYE POLITIK

One form of audio-visual mass media that is capable of conveying information effectively is a film, both in the form of fiction and documentary. Mass art, especially film, can bring a picture of the contemporary world to the public at large, increase political awareness, encourage world surveillance, and bring social critical images. Through film, directors can convey messages and raise a phenomenon that occurs in society. Roland Barthes's semiotic analysis is very relevant to use in studying a film because a film consists of various interrelated signs. The signs include various sign systems that work together to achieve the desired effect. In Roland Barthes' semiotic analysis, the film has a meaning consisting of a signifier and a signified. The research method used is qualitative with primary data sources from the film Our Brand Is Crisis. Researchers used data collection techniques through observation and documentation. Roland Barthes' Semiotic Analysis in this study is used to interpret the meaning of the signs in the film, which consists of five stages: identifying signs, analyzing denotative and connotative meanings, determining social, cultural, and historical contexts, and analyzing the myths contained in signs. the. The goal is to understand and express meaning in film and how the social and cultural context shapes it.

Visual significations of Monkey King: Hero is Back and Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child

Visual signs can be differentiated into denotative and connotative messages, where denotative messages form the perceptual foundation of an image, and connotative messages engage with a deeper, culturally cognisant layer, imbued with subjective interpretations and aesthetic significations. This study embarks on a qualitative textual analysis with the main aim to elucidate the connotation and denotation of visual significations in two pivotal Chinese animated films, Monkey King: Hero is Back and Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child. Guided by Roland Barthes’ Semiotic theory and Chen’s study, the research delves into the connotative and denotative meanings embodied in the films’ visual elements. The focus is primarily on facial design, physical appearance, clothing, and props, providing a comparative analysis of how these elements function within each film’s narrative framework. The key findings reveal that the visual significations in both films are not merely aesthetic choices but serve as substantial cultural and narrative tools. The characters’ faces, physical appearances, clothing, and props are intricately tied to themes like Chinese opera masks, subversive reconstructions, natural elements, and intangible cultural heritage. These visual cues play a crucial role in reinforcing cultural heritage, spurring innovation, invoking nature reverence, and bolstering national sentiment within film storytelling. Contrasting with previous research that predominantly focused on characters, this study expands the analytical scope to include props, recognising their significance as visual signs in animation. By expanding the analysis to include props alongside characters and visual elements into the analysis, this research offers a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of Chinese mythological animations. It enriches the academic discourse on animation studies, demonstrating how visual elements can profoundly influence narrative interpretation and cultural representation. The research affirms the cultural and narrative potency of visual signification in animation and underscores the dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation within the realm of Chinese animated films.

The Visual Representation of The Israeli Army On BBC During the 2023 Israel-Hamas War: A Semiotic Analysis

أنطلاقا من ألسيمائية ألأجتماعية ألمرئية كأحدى أمتدادات ألسيمائية ألأجنماعية, ألدراسة تعنى بتحليل صورتان منتدبتان من موقع قناة أل بي بي سي. ألصور تمثل ألجيش ألأسرائيلي أثناء ألحرب ألجارية بين أسرائيل من جهة و حماس و فصائل ألمقاومة ألأخرى من جهة أخرى. ألدراسة تعتمد على نموذج ألنحو ألمرئي لكريس و فانلوين للعام 2006 لتحليل ألصور بطريقة شاملة. ألدراسة تظهر بأن ألمعاني ألمجسدة بالصور يتم أيديلوجيا لمصلحة أسرائيل . كذلك تظهر بأن قناة أل بي بي تعيد أنتاج صورة تعيد أنتاج صورة أسرائيل لصالحها , بمعزل عن ألصورة ألنمطية لجيشها. يظهر نموذج ألنحو ألمرئي, بأن عناصر ألجيش ألأسرائيلي يتم تقديمهم بشخصية عاطفية, و أنسانية, كذلك يظهر بأن هنالك رسائل أيديولوجية تتعلق بتمثيل أسرائيل. هذه ألرسائل تعكس أيمان و ألتزام عميقيين من جانب أل بي بي سي أتجاه أسرائيل.

Towards An Analysis of the Visual Images of the Drawings of the Child Survivors of War: A Semiotic Study

In this research, children used poster narratives to communicate their perspectives of the Marawi Siege. A social semiotic approach was utilized to understand their visualizations. This study aimed to look into the aspect of understanding the narratives of the child victims of the Marawi Siege through their drawings, referred to poster narratives in this study, by extracting the visual images present. The collection of data was limited to the two temporary shelters in Marawi: Boganga and Rorogagus. The researcher collected 40 poster narratives from the different temporary shelters in Marawi City, and the recurrent visual images were those of Social Actors, Shattered Place, Battle Aircraft and Weapons. The child-respondents included significant minute details in illustrating the social actors such as tears, sad and scared expressions, color and position, and at times, supported these emotions with texts which served as anchorage. From these findings, it could be drawn that a careful study of the shapes, strokes, colors, position, number and size of the images was of paramount significance to better understand the data output of the children-respondents. The posters are not meaningless forms or shapes. They convey materials or images from the deeper recesses of the minds or psyches of the respondents.

Scrutinizing the Myth of Kumunity: The Semiotics of the Philippines’ Pinoy Big Brother Season 10

In applying Roland Barthes' semiotic theory to the analysis of Pinoy Big Brother Season 10 (Dyogi, Katigbak, Vidanes & Andrada, 2021-2022), this study delves into the intricate layers of meaning embedded in the show's 'Kumunity' concept, a term created by the fusion of 'Kumu,' a social media entertainment app, and "community." The primary focus is on unraveling the myth that the 'kumunity' symbolizes within the broader context of the reality television landscape in the Philippines. The investigation meticulously scrutinized selected components of the show—images, music, and dialogues—to elucidate the orders of signification, exposing the nuanced and multifaceted meanings conveyed. The 'kumunity' is portrayed as mirroring a tangible community with shared goals among housemates, showcasing a cohesive objective reminiscent of a localized collective. However, beneath this surface portrayal, this study uncover a rich tapestry of implicit meanings. These include subtle assertions of authority and power dynamics, the reinforcement of cultural nuances, the elevation and glorification of resilience as a virtue, and instances of disunity within the overarching support system. The study, through extensive analysis, goes beyond the apparent and reveals the intricate web of hidden ideologies within the signs presented in Pinoy Big Brother Season 10. It sheds light on the subtle yet impactful societal messages that permeate the realm of reality television, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the show's influence on cultural perceptions and dynamics. Keywords: Kumu, kumunity, Pinoy Big Brother, Roland Barthes, semiotics.