Semiotics

Semiotics

Representation is the way people, groups, cultural ideas, are shown by the media.

Mediation is the process where media institutions are the go between, they select and organise material for their audience.

The problems with mediated reality:

False expectations
Could be completely made up

Denotes- literal meaning of a sign

Connotes- interpreted meaning of a sign

Iconic- work through resemblance

Symbolic- learned

Indexial- casual link

Signs are ploysemic.

E.g. the character from Star Trek “Spock”’s ears. (as a polysemic sign)

Iconic- the difference between Spock and humans

Symbolic- Spock's nature, intelligence, and logic

Indexical-  the fact that Spock has a mixed parentage (human + alien) (human ears with a difference)