Visual Communication Online

Visual communication online can be assessed through the lens of Social Semiotics. Social Semiotics is a term coined by linguistic theorist, Michael Halliday, in 1978 and is based on the premise that the creation and interpretation of meaning from language and symbols—verbal and nonverbal communication—cannot be separated from its social context. In other words, Social Semiotics is important because it can help predict how a certain communication will be interpreted by a particular culture or society. 

There are three major concepts associated with Visual Social Semiotics—representational, interactive, and compositional meaning—which can then be broken down into further classifications. Representational meaning is communicated by the people, places, or things portrayed in an image or advertisement and can come in two forms—narrative (participant “doing” something) or conceptual (participant “being” something) (Jewitt & Oyama, 2012). An interactive meaning refers to how an image can generate a relationship between its viewers and indicate the response those viewers should take from what is being depicted; an interactive meaning is conveyed by distance, contact, and point of view of the participants in the image (Jewitt & Oyama, 2012). Finally, compositional meaning is meaning derived from the way an image is composed; this includes information value, framing, salience, and modality (Jewitt & Oyama, 2012). 

 

(Seevinck, 2016)

To get an idea how these elements work together, let’s take a look at a few examples:

Figure 1: "I want you for U.S. Army : nearest recruiting station" by James Montgomery Flagg, 1917.

Source

The Representational meaning in this image is a Narrative one as the actor in the image (Uncle Sam) creates a story through the action unfolding—him pointing sternly at the viewer. This is also a non-transactive action because what the actor is looking at (the viewer) is outside the image.  

The Interactive meaning in this figure suggests that the viewer should feel chosen. The Contact is demand—meaning that the actor is looking directly at the viewer; the actor is also looking levelly at the viewer (as opposed to “down at” or “up at”) suggesting an equal relationship between the actor and the viewer. The Distance is a medium shot, intimating a social relationship with the viewer. The “vertical” Point of View suggests the power dynamic of how the viewer should feel while looking at the image—which, in this case, the angle of the image is "straight on" at the audience, symbolizing equality; horizontally, the Point of View suggests maximum engagement as the actor faces the viewer directly (frontality) as opposed to a side view of the actor.

The Compositional meaning indicates a centered Information Value—where all the information of the image is placed in the center. It has a connected Framing—elements are made to belong through color coordination. The Salience is directed through the eye-catching elements of red hues, bold font, and white space around the actor, and the Modality is scientific—no background details or depth in the image as there would have been in real life.

 

Figure 2: Film still from Howl's Moving Castle 2004. 

Source

The Representational meaning in this image is also Narrative—the actors have a line of action or implied movement that connects them. The action is also transactive, meaning the contact or movement is within the range of the image. That is, they are not looking at something “off screen.”

The Interactive meaning suggests that the viewer should relate to this image as an invested observer. The Contact is offers, which signifies that the image offers the viewer something as opposed to expecting the viewer to do something about the subject of the image. The Distance is a close-up shot, denoting an intimate interaction with the viewer and the actors. The vertical Point of View of the audience suggests an equal power dynamic—the viewer is neither looking up or down at the actors; horizontally, the Point of View indicates detachment by presenting the viewer with a side view of the actors. 

Like Figure 1, the Compositional meaning of this image is a centered Information Value as all the information is placed in the center. The Framing of the image is disconnected because the elements in the scene contrast with each other—the cool colors of the actors contrasting with the ominous fiery-red tones of the background behind them. The Salience of the image is accomplished through the dominant elements of red hues, mass of the male actor, light colors of the female actor, and the specks of burning rubble floating around them. The Modality is a natural modality, imitating complex details that would be seen if the image was present in real life.

 

References:

Jewitt, C., & Oyama, R. (2012). Visual meaning: a social semiotic approach. In Hughes, J. (Ed), SAGE Visual Methods (pp. 151-176). SAGE Publications Ltd.

Seevinck, J. (2016). DXB402_15se2: Theories of Visual Communication: Week Five [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from https://blackboard.qut.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-6470547-dt-content-rid-6822957_1/courses/DXB402_16se2/Semiotics2VSS%202016BB.pdf.