Social Semiotics

 According to Social Semiotics by Gualberto and Kress, "Social semiotics is a social theory about meaning and meaning making; it examines the varities of ways texts can be made"(Gualberto and Kress). According to this article, the term 'Social Semiotics' was first introduced in 1978 by Michael Halliday. Social semiotics is particularly important as it explains how meanings behind speech come to be. This explains how meanings come from those who are writing something and from those who are interpreting something.

There are a couple of rules associated with social semiotics. One rule is that social semiotics is defined through a variety of different sources. Multiple modes are defined in semiotics (such as visual, verbal, etc.) and these modes are interact to determine how meanings are interpreted. Social semiotics also relies on contextual interpretation to determine meaning. Based on the situation that something is presented in, meanings and interpretation can change. 

So for analyzing images using the social semiotics method, I have chosen the following example. 

The first image shows a landscape map. Depending on where someone looks, you can see different levels of development in an area. Depending on how you have been raised, what you can see, etc. , someone can either conclude that this is a transitional area or that this area is just undergoing remodeling. The same reasoning applies to image 2. Someone can either see that the image is a barren sidewalk and conclude that this is a barren neighborhood, or someone can conclude that this is a lively neighborhood with positive traits. This all depends on the framework that someone views the world through. Thus, social semiotics is extremely influential in examining the world!