The reading “Sins and meaning” explored about the semiotics in the media culture and everyday life. There are three points which also important ones being summaries in the chapter. First one is signs are mutual related, they are adaptable and changeable. Words or signifiers have a history of meanings; they change in different period of times, and the meanings of the signifiers are active; they varied from the potential meanings and also depend on the context (Shirato, 2000, 26). Moreover, Shirato pointed that the signs are also relate to the issues of power; for example, the argument of “Australia invaded by Europeans”.
I would like to use the chatting symbols in the net work environment to explain my understanding on this semiotics subject. Chatting symbols are refers to the expressions which developed by the youth via internet chatting or texting. They are such as face symbols “lol”, “: )” and “: (or the abbreviation like “ASPS” and “cya”. Those language are developed from the symbols of texting and the day to day language, they are informal and most of them developed by youth. Basically, the punctuations are signs indicate the regular interruptions and division of sentences and phrases. However, when simply make a combination of the symbols, the meaning changes, like the smiley face “: )”. In other words, this proves the theory that the meanings of signs are arbitrary and depends on context. Furthermore, the symbols have their own functions and the meaning for a long period of time, but the face symbols adapted symbols into another meaning in the present days that shows that the symbols are changeable from time to time and the histories of the symbols development can be traced. Moreover, there’s another point I found in my daily life is the use of the symbols have limited audience. The meanings of symbols are not universal since it may developed in different language system and culture context. Like me, as an overseas student from China, I really confuse when I talk to my peer student who grown up in Australia since they use a lot of abbreviation and symbols like “lol”.
The political power of symbols are more embody in “media text”, so it may be talk more about on the next blog, which is about discourse.
By Ying, Xiao z3283915
Reference:
Schirato, T. and Yell, S. “:Signs and meaning.” Communication and Cultural Literacy: An Introduction. Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 2000, 18-33
