Media content is a subject where media content is central. This summary covers the dominant outlooks of communication: persuasion, information and culture. Pierce's semiotic triangle and the constuctionist approach are treated. It also discusses an important article by James Carey explaining the di...
Samenvatting media content. Tentamen: 21-01-2020.
Dominant outlooks in communication
- Persuasion = commercial advertisement and advertisement for social services
- Culture = cultural specific looks on reality, stressing differences in national & identity
- Information = journalism and news.
They all have different conceptions of “content”. Different in conceptions of content aiming at
different types of knowledge.
There is no such thing as THE content
- Defined by producers and readers perspective.
- By presenting reality in specific ways, specific knowledge is produced.
Encoding = The way a story is bought into representation. The specific interpretation they have
during the making process.
Decoding = the way the recipience will make a specific reading of the text, from a particular
perspective. “making sense of media content”
- Difference in perspective different view on content different elements of the text are
turned into signs in order to signify part of the text specific interpretation of the content is
created.
Basic assumption = you as an observer have to ad meaning to wat you see. You can adopt the
viewpoint of the sender, but you can also resist this dominant reading and take a different
perspective.
Signification
- Knowledge of grammar of sign system
- Select important signs, neglect others.
- Interpretation = creating specific knowledge.
“Communication is a symbolic process whereby a reality is produced, maintained, repaired and
transformed” James Carey (2009)
- Symbols mediate and structure all our experience because they structure our ability to
perceive and interpret what goes around us.
- Representations produce reality, the representation maintains our cultural identity.
- In order to add meaning to signs you must know the code.
- Accumulated meanings that previous generations have captured, preserved and passed on in
the form of signs.
Theory of Representation = reality is represented by the use of signs and sign system.
Every approach in communication science is build on a specific perspective.
- Use of signs that stands in for and take place of reality
- Media content always mediates reality
- Reality is brought into existence, is produced by communication- by in short- the
construction, apprehension and utilization of symbolic forms.
- Sign and sign system structure the way we see the world in a specific way.
Representation of / for reality
Representation of = the way the signs are used
Representation for = the specific knowledge created about the subject.
- The relationship between being (of, empirical reality) and knowing (for, what is) signified
(meaning) by representations.
- You know empirical reality only by the signs you use to attach significance
, - Symbol creates reality.
Vanity sizing = changing size numbers to give the costumers a good feeling.
- Representation of (size number) becomes a representation for (body satisfaction)
Semiotics = the study of sign process. How do we signify reality by the use of signs or how do we
know the world by using signs.
Suites the Peircean tradition: Semiosis as signifying practice, the production of specific knowledge
about reality by using signs. Using a different sign meaning creating a new knowledge of dynamical
object. Semiosis is an unlimited process.
- Every representation is based on the selection of a sign
- Every sign comes with a perspective on reality
- Every sign produces specific knowledge of reality
Semiology = suites the Saussure’s legacy. Focus is on the structure of signs and sign systems and not
so much on the link to reality.
- Signs are members of a system and are defined in relation to other members of that system.
- Meaning comes from comparing the sign (paradigm) and in relation to positioning in a chain
of signs (syntagma)
- Paradigm and syntagma are cinematic devices.
Saussure’s terminology
- Signifier = sign
- Signified = dynamical object
Signification creates meaning the result of combination of signifier and signified
- Denotation = literary meaning, signifier refers to signified.
- Connotation = signifier creates associated meaning: personal/ cultural/ symbolic meaning.
Categories of sign
- Icon (resemblance) = picture or drawing from an object that stands for an actual object that
can appear (road signs)
- Symbol (arbitrary) = the meaning must be learned (size numbers)
- Indexical (causal, material) = the object is in the environment, but still it is not seen
(footprint)
Development child in 3 stages
1. Greifen = only what is tangible, exist.
2. Greifen in die Ferne = use sign to refer to particular object
3. Begreifen = sign refer to all, more specific ‘being tree like”. Conceptualization, sign represent
conceptual meaning.
Once you’re able to use signs that refer to concepts you have access to reality.
3 approaches on representations
1. Reflective approach = meaning lies in the object. Signs reflect the meaning of something
that’s already there
- Meaning already exist and signs represent them
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