“Semiotics is the study of the social production of meaning from sign systems and the analysis of anything that can stand for something else.” Budweiser used semiotics in its commercial during the Super Bowl this past February with the theme and hashtag “#bestbud.” It shows a puppy and a horse who become best buddies and have a lot of fun playing together. Both the puppy and the horse escape to see each other, and the owners of the horse and the puppy each try really hard to keep the two apart and return them to their respective homes, but they always find a way to get back together to play. The necessity and/or persistence of the puppy to see the Budweiser horse would imply a necessity or persistence to drink beer.The signifier or image of Budweiser is the horse that is always in their commercials. The signified is the concept of friendship. The sign is intended to be a friendship between the puppy and the Budweiser horse, which would imply that beer (the Budweiser horse) is your best buddy.
Semiotics is the interpreting of both verbal and nonverbal signs. It isconcerned with anything that can stand for something else. The sign is a combination ofits signifier and signified. The signifier is the image while the signified is the concept. The sign is the combination of both signifier and signified instead of just signifier. The signifier and the signified united into a inseparable bond. Rod of Asclepius is a good example of the combination of signifier and signified.The Rod of Asclepius takes its name from the god Asclepius, a deity associated with healing and medicinal arts in Greek mythology. Asclepius’s attributes, the snake and the staff, sometimes depicted separately in antiquity, are combined in this symbol. While in modern day,The Rod of Asclepiusis associated with medicine and health care. We can find this sign in anumber of organizations and services such as World Health Organization and Emergency Medical services in U.K. In this example, the image of the Rod represent the holy healing and medicinal power which is the signifier. While the signified represents medicine and health care in modern days. We can find this reflexive relation in the relation between the signifier and signified in this example while they relate and influence the meanings of each other and together assign the meaning of the sigh of the rod.
Semiotics is the interpreting of both verbal and nonverbal signs. The study of semiotics is the analysis of anything that can stand for something else. The sign is a combination of its signifier and its signified, which are inseparable. The signifier is the physical sign and the signified is the meaning we make from the sign. Because everyone is different the signified can differ across cultures and even individuals in the same town. This leads to the idea of myths in which the meaning of the sign is carried across one or more cultures and perceived to be natural, such as red is the color for stop signs worldwide. The idea of the signifier and then signified can be greatly seen through the advertisements of Café Risque as read about in the extra credit reading. Café Risque is a topless restaurant being opened and advertised for in a small town in Georgia whose citizens do not believe their values align with such an establishment and do not want those driving through to get this type of picture of their town, and therefore not visit or visit for the wrong reasons. The billboards on the highway were not very loud; there were no photos, only text. However, the different fonts and size of certain text on the billboard along with the colors (red and yellow) was the signifier. This led to the signified to be that the colors of red and yellow were scandalous and cautionary despite text such as “food, games, family friendly, etc.” led the signified to see this as an adult establishment which the citizens of the town did not wish to be associated with. These simple signs because of what they signified and were interpreted as led the citizens to file suit against the establishment in order that they would not be associated with such a symbol. Attached are two photos of billboards from this establishment:
Semiotics is the study of the social production of meaning from sign systems. In Roland Barthes’ theory, sign plays a significant role in constructing the whole theory. Sign is the inseparable combination of the signifier and the signified. Signifier is the physical form perceived through our senses, and it contains image, sound, or acts. Signified is the meaning associated with the sign, in other words, the more abstract part of the sign. The example of olive branch could help us have a better understanding. We all know that olive branch represents peace or victory. But why is this sign rooted in our mind? Actually, this sign derives from the customs of Ancient Greece, and appears in one of the stories in the Bible. It is very popular in western culture. In this sign, olive branch is the signifier, while peace or victory is the signified. As one of the most common signs in the world, we can find this sign in some international organizations’ symbols.
Semiotics are widely used in every culture. Semiotics is a way for us to naturally fulfill the desire to give things meaning. We create these meanings through our interpretations of signs. Signs take the form of images, sounds, objects, acts ect. These signs hold no intrinsic value until it is given meaning by an individual. Semiotics is seen in catholic churches across the world. The white dove is affiliated with pacifists, Judaism, as well as Christianity. The white dove can symbolize love, peace, and a messenger. The meanings given to this dove is a way that we give meanings to objects, thus creating symbols. I went to a catholic church and everyday I saw the same dove and wondered what it meant. One day I decided to as my priest and he told me that it symbolized love and peace. Without any information about this dove and what it stands for I would simply think that it is just a bird.
Semiotics is the study of society producing meaning of things through a system of signs and by looking at this one is looking at anything that stands for something else. Important terms in this communication theory include signs, signified, signifier, and myth. The sign is the “inseparable combination of the signifier and the signified.” An important idea within these words is the idea that a sign is insignificant on its own rather it needs to be a part of a sign in order to represent anything. According to Barthes, signs can lose their meaning and either change means or lose all substances within the society. An example the word ring represents marriage and a wedding. The signifier is the physical form of the ring itself on the left hand ring figure and it signifies marriage and the relationship between one person and another. The ring on the left hand means nothing without social context therefore it is part of the system within semiotics. There is a more to the study of semiotics, however, this is the main idea with which this communication theory is based off of.
Walter Fisher defines narration as “symbolic actions-words and/or deeds-that have sequence or meaning for those who live, create, or interpret them.” His notion of narrative paradigm focuses over all forms of communication essentially coming from the framework of stories. This chapter begins with the statement: “people are storytelling animals,” and Fisher could not agree more. The coherence of the narrative is what allows the parties to relate and level with each other, ultimately allowing the communication or story to be told and understood. Fisher expresses the fidelity of the narrative that “strikes a responsive chord in the life of the listener.” This allows for the fidelity to provide good reasons to guide our future actions, serving to be much more than a simple story time. An example that came into mind was the Gettysburg scene in the film “Remember The Titans.” In the scene the head coach takes the football team on a very challenging and extensive workout run in the middle of the night and concludes the run on the Gettysburg battlefield and cemetery. He compares the story of his team to the Gettysburg soldiers and is able to strengthen the team and bring them together with unity. The coach strikes chords within all the players and forms a true team of different race. The entire scene can be seen in the link below.
A great example of the Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making at work can be seen regularly on the hit series Scandal. On the show, a group of people working together at a firm call themselves Gladiators and work to solve any crisis of their clients. The Gladiators believe in the premise that joint interaction leads to greater wisdom, and have sit down meetings with every client. In the meetings, the Gladiators interview the client with a board at the front of the room to present all the known facts about the case. In this setting is where the Group Decision Making comes into play.
The Gladiators use the four functions of effective decision making by analyzing the problem, agreeing upon goals that will help solve the problem, talking out alternative solutions and evaluating the negative and positives of different situations. They make sure to question the client and gather information about the nature, extent, and probable causes to the presented problem. They often run into issues when the problem is bigger than foreseen or another issue rises after they solve the immediate issue.
Olivia Pope is in charge of the firm, and has made sure to construct a team of very intelligent yet different employees that have a wide range of talents to offer. She listens to all their suggestions while making sure to provide a nonjudgmental environment. Pope uses promotive communication to advance the group’s communication process. She reassures the Gladiators all ideas are welcome, and to “always trust their guts.” Her leadership has proven very effective and the firm is the best at what it does.
The idea of Walter Fisher’s narrative paradigm focuses on the idea that all forms of communication can be regarded as stories and that communication should be viewed as a narrative. Stories are central to our existence and critical to effective communication. By telling stories, the communicator can develop a connection with the audience and ensure they are able to relate to what is being said. In the TV series, How I Met Your Mother¸ the entire basis of the show revolves around the retelling of how the protagonist, Ted, struggles for years to find his soul mate. Ted demonstrates the idea of narrative through telling the long and detailed story of his journey. This is a classic example of the narrative paradigm as the entire series uses the premise of Ted’s story to illustrate the familiar struggle of finding love in this world, demonstrating the important connection to the audience to communicate successfully.
The concept of rhetoric, as developed by Aristotle, involves discovering all means of persuasion. There are logical, ethical, and emotional ways of rhetoric proofs, which are identified as logos, ethos, and pathos respectively. Communication is most effective in persuading an audience when all three rhetoric proofs are implemented. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered a powerful address that covered the three proofs effectively. In the speech, FDR has an ethical appeal (ethos) because he is a trusted, credible figure and audiences tend to believe people whom they respect. Roosevelt also has emotional appeal (pathos) because the American people were shocked and scared after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the president appeals to these emotions by promising to avenge those lives lost and move forward to victory over the enemy. Finally, FDR has a logical (logos) appeal as well because he uses the logic of reasoning, referencing the facts of what happened that day in Hawaii to support his argument and persuade his audience.
