Media, Semiotics, and Sociology: Three Models for Analysis

These three tripartite (three part) models form social scientific cornerstones. They are derived from the fields of media studies, semiotics, and sociology, respectively. They are
related in that they all answer questions about communication and the cultural sphere. Here is the rough draft of a brief description and comparison of these modes of analysis.


THE MEDIA TRIANGLE

The media triangle is a basic tool for media analysis. Media text, audience, and production help answer basic questions about media (who?, what?, why?, etc.). This form of analysis is important because it requires a critical analysis of the producer, encouraging us to inquire about their methods and motivation of production. When considering media in a broader context of power dynamics, this sort of analysis is essential. In our hyper-commercial environments, questioning the intentions of the producer can upset the usually transparent flow of information from, say, advertiser to consumer. Considering the form of the advertisement itself can also elucidate the meanings of a media text.

Media, in the broadest sense, might include language. But in a more traditional sense, media records the thoughts, sounds, and images evoked by language. Thus, this traditional definition of media involves an extra layer of intention beyond spoken word, beyond simple utterances. Media also encompasses the will to record and preserve a particular thought or message in a particular way. This is intention is not necessarily present in the following two modes of analysis represented below.


PEIRCE'S SEMIOTIC TRIANGLE*

• Sign vehicle: the form of the sign;
• Sense: the sense made of the sign;
• Referent: what the sign 'stands for'.

Charles Sanders Peirce constructed this three-part model, in contrast to the two-part model of "signifier" and "signified" created by Ferdinand de Sassure. Peirce's model is significant because it emphasizes "the sense made of the sign." In other words, it not only acknowledges one thing standing for another, it also acknowledges the process of interpretation of a sign. Thus, there is no absolute correlation between the sign vehicle and sign referent, but rather a dynamic process that leads to the sense made of the sign.

Those concerned with power dynamics will want to question who controls this process of interpretation? Who controls the sense made of particular signs? Who has the upper hand in a given discourse about a given sign? For example, in the case of a printed advertisement, the ad itself is the sign vehicle. The referent is the product or service which it is advertising. And the sense made of the sign is the meaning perceived by those who encounter it. In most cases, the advertiser has the upper hand in this discourse, aiming to create a fairly uniform interpretation of the sign that results in consumption of the advertised product or larger profit.

*paraphrased from Semiotics for Beginners by Daniel Chandler




BERGER'S MODEL OF DIALECTIC WORLD CONSTRUCTION

Sociologist Peter Berger advances this model in The Sacred Canopy: A Sociogical Theory of Religion. The process described here is either "world contruction" or "self construction." Arguably it can be applied to individuals or a culture/community as a whole. The stages of this process are externalization, objectivation, and internalization. This process forms a loop.

When applied to the cultural sphere, this model can provide a similar analysis as the two above. Related to the media triangle, there is a direct parallel between externalization/production, objectivation/media text, and internalization/audience. Thus, in the example of advertising, a company may externalize information about a product, which is objectivated in the form of a print, broadcast or digital advertisement, which is then internalized by consumers. Naturally, both the example and model can readily be complicated. In comparison to the semiotic trianlge, there is a correspondence between objectivation/sign vehicle, externalization/referent, and internalization/sense.


Concrete examples would readily illustrate the relationships outlined above. Social scientific theory can become meaningless if it loses grounding in the real world. I'm interested in the application of these theories in relation to advertising and PR, but they can be applied to a much wider variety of media such as music, language, fashion, or visual art, to name a few.

Media-Technology Use Log

From the time I woke up this morning, I recorded each use of media technology in a log with pencil and paper. Here is an excerpt from the log:

11:14 - check cell for new messages
11:26 - begin this log w/pencil and paper
- open up computer to begin grad school research
11:35 - gmail chat from Noelle
11:45 - login to Skype
-skype with Mom, skype with Noelle
12:56 - begin grad school research on the computer
1:51 - text Erika/plug in phone
2:04 - exchange several more texts messages with Erika
2:16 - close comp to go for a walk
- unplug phone to bring

I don't expect anyone to be particularly interested in the details of my lazy Saturday morning. However, the process of creating the log was individually enriching for me. At a community level, the compilation of "technology-use logs" could prove to be a valuable source of information for social scientists, economists, businesses, etc. Consider the individual and community significance of creating a media-technology log:

Individual significance - Creating the log helped me be more mindful of my media-technology use throughout the day. Having contemplated this experiment for a while, I was eager to begin when I woke up today.

First, I had to decide which activities I would record. It was the buzzing of my cell phone that woke me up, but does that count as my use of my cell phone? I decided to record only the uses of technology that were intentional and significant to me. For example, as soon as I sat up in bed, my eyes began to catch site of all the brand logos glimmering around my room. The microphone sticker on my CD case, the books on my bedside table, my smartwool sock on the floor, the lonely-planet guidebook on my shelf. But I didn't place the objects around my room with the intention of waking up and consuming the messages they convey. These objects are part of my media-scape, conveying messages to me, whether I am conscious of them or not, that I can hardly notice or take time to notice. I suppose my real reason for not recording these mediated interactions is simply that it would take too much time. The log was intended to be a light reprisal of the choices I made about media-technology use throughout the day, not an all-consuming process of logging every haphazard interaction with text, image and sound that my senses digested. Thus, I only recorded the choices I made about which media-technology to use, or not use, today.

Second, the knowledge that I'd be creating this journal changed my behavior. For example, when I decided to go out for a walk, I considered taking my iPod with me. But I decided I'd rather be mindful of my surroundings and take the time to clear my head. I did, however, bring flashcards to study when I reached the park. Also, while outside, I didn't use my cell phone as much to check the time or send text messages because I didn't want to make unnecessary media interactions that would have to be logged later. Instead, I tried to keep things simple. And I enjoyed it.

Throughout the day, I reflected on my use of media-technology. The creation of the log was not so much burdonsome as intriguing, enriching. "Oh, I spent an hour and a half doing that..." "I turned on the computer to do this, better not get distracted by writing this email..." These are thoughts normally wouldn't occur to me, but I had fun considering them today.

Community signifiance - In the future, such a pencil and paper blog will be laughable because every digital movement (and everything will be digital) will be logged by the information powerhouses of the internet world. The Googles, the Amazons, they will know your every move. And collectively, they will use the information gathered from millions of users to filter and reprocess information to privilege the interests of the powerful.

But that is a bleak future imagined by a dark, techno-determinist who would have everybody leading Second Lives by next year and living in the Matrix. From a more neutral point of view, I would argue that a collection of user reports about use of media-technology is (and will be) valuable. This is precisesly the kind of technology that Microsoft employs when they ask you to send an error report when Word crashes, or Google uses when you search. The idea is to create kind of a wiki based on recorded behavior. This information, like all other information, is valuable. Companies want to know about your behavior on the internet, on your cell phone. So do social scientists. People want to understand what people do and why they do it. Such understanding is powerful. And in an age mediated by technology, an understanding of the use of technology is fundamental to consolodating power.

From an optomistic point of view, the creation of such media-technology logs by users could be used to empower the users themselves and their communities. Such information could be collected in a wiki or group blog. And hyper text and searching features would allow for cross-reference and analysis. It's likely such logs already exist. In any case, the control of this information by setting permissions or access would be a critical to ensuring that the information is used for the interest of users, the public interest, so to speak.

Project Proposal

AIM: Apply concepts of basic semiotics and media literacy (i.e. the "media triangle"/see post on media and semiotics) to a study of advertisements for 英会話 (eikaiwa - English conversation) schools on Tokyo trains.

METHODS: 1) Gather data - photograph (and/or gain access to archives of) advertisements. 2) Transcribe text of documents in Japanese/ translate to English 3) Write English and Japanese analysis of advertisements simultaneously.

LIMITATIONS: 1) Data will be selective. It's unlikely I will be able to photograph every eikaiwa advertisement on every train line in all of greater Tokyo. Moreover, the photographs actually used in analysis will be limited to a select few. 2) With limited Japanese language proficiency, my translation and analysis will be skewed by English dominance.

NOTES: 1) Use a variety of resources to offset the limitations listed above. 2) This project could be done with a variety of themes. For example, Buddhism in advertising, advertisements for museums with Buddhist art collections, advertisements for tourism, or advertisements for music. 3) This project could be performed in a variety of locals. The picture here was taken in Chennai, India. What does it tell us about English schools there? (Tamil speaking friends, please help!)

Miyashita Park Documentary

I recently started volunteering with OurPlanet-TV, an independent journalism NPO based in Tokyo. They recently produced an English version of a documentary about Miyashita Park in Shibuya, Tokyo. The park will become "Nike Sports Park" this year, a move toward privitization and commercialization of this public space. Please watch the video and join the movement to SAVE MIYASHITA PARK!

MIYASHITA PARK-TOKYO/SHIBUYA

- Can The Domocracy Be Bought For Money？PART1

http://www.ourplanet-tv.org/?q=node/489

MIYASHITA PARK-TOKYO/SHIBUYA

- Can The Domocracy Be Bought For Money？PART2

http://www.ourplanet-tv.org/?q=node/490

Youtube version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TftKq4OX4Y8

Pictures Taken as a Tourist

How do we know a tourist when we see one? Often the presence of a (digital) camera aimed at cultural monuments ignites a spark of recognition. As a "foreigner" (外国人) resident of Japan, I'm aware that I stick out due to my physical appearance, as well as my broken Japanese language. I can usually distinguish myself from tourists by, say, listening to my iPod on the local train, rather than taking pictures of Mt. Fuji from the shinkansen (bullet train) window. But sometimes I am a tourist, and visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites (click for Wikipedia ariticle) with my camera gives me away. Though the word "foreigner" provokes images of xenophobia in many Americans, many people use the word "tourist" in a similar way. Tourists are those who "ain't from around these parts." Tourists are marked as foreigners.

In my year and a half in Japan, I've been extremely privileged to travel within the country, and recently to southern and northern India and Nepal. When I travel, I try to be mindful of which hat I'm wearing (am I a tourist? a photographer? a budding anthropologist? a religious seeker?). For example, while doing the 88 temple pilgrimage (ohenro=お遍路) in Shikoku, I rapidly changed roles between backpacker, pilgrim, tourist, and social documentarian/religious scholar/amateur anthropologist. Before the trip, I had imagined actually changing hats when switching between these roles, from straw-hatted pilgrim to urbane-hatted backpacker, etc. But when I was out there, I was mentally cycling through these roles so quickly that it became impossible to distinguish them so neatly, and they often overlapped. Again, this is an example of my limited ability to be mindful

Though I often don't like being a tourist, I've learned to sometimes embrace the role, as there is nothing inherently problematic about tourism itself. It's natural that when we see something unique and culturally significant that we want to take a picture and share this experience with others, to potentially start a dialog, and to try to make sense where we have been. So here I am sharing some of my pictures from my recent travels for this purpose. I'll try to add captions to give some context. Hope you enjoy!

Nara, Japan: Kento, my "host brother," and I. I met him and his mother in San Francisco

Kento's grandmother took us to "Bentenza," a type of theater similar to Kabuki featuring a samurai play sandwiched between two acts of dancing. The actors, including this one, are traditionally male.

Kento, his Mom and I went cherry blossom viewing at a park nearby their house.

桜=sakura=cherry tree

We took a day trip to Hiroshima and visited the iconic Itsukushima Shrine, one of Japan's top three sights.

hilltop view

We visited the Hiroshima Memorial Dome, which commemorates the victims of the atomic bomb attack on the city. It now stands as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an international symbol for peace.

And Hiroshima Peace Park.

Parties for Peace

Unsurprisingly, "Parties for Peace" already exists. Here is the organization's website:


http://www.parties4peace.com/

Here is a video that introduces their Patagonica Project:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHbgCMBSBkk

The founder of Party4Peace works for the organization Peace Boat:

http://www.peaceboat.org/english/index.html

What do you think?

Notes on `Remix` by Lawrence Lessig: Chapter 7 Hybrid Economies

The book `Remix` by Lawrence Lessig has proved one of the most fascinating reads of my life, perhaps speaking equally to value of the ideas it represents and my short list of books-read-in-my-lifetime. I aim to do more thoroguh posts on each chapter of the book in the future. But I`m currently on Chapter 7 Hybrid Economies, and I couldn`t sleep, and was feeling inspired. So here are some quick notes on this chapter and the ideas it inspires in me.

The previous chapter is `Two Economies: Commercial and Sharing`. A commercial economy is one in which transactions are negotiated based on price. Netflix is an example of a commercial economy. A sharing a economy is one in which transactions are negotiated based on a complex set of social values, rules and regulations. Wikipedia is an example of a sharing economy. A hybrid economy blends these two economies. YouTube is an example of a hybrid economy.

Reading through Lessig`s laundry list of hybrid economies on the internet, I`m inspired to jot down a few ideas of my own. Whether these are actually hybrid economies in Lessig`s sense I haven`t quite thought through, so I could use some feedback on that. Here are three ideas:

1) donationtraker.org - I was inspired by a recently watched TED talk to consider the concept of impulse giving (as opposed to impulse buying). Consider the website of your favorite non-profit. Is there a `Donate Now!` button at the top or on the homepage? Many non-profits are employing what my uncle referred to as `nudge psychology`, giving people an opportunity to decide to give a marginal amount of money on the fly. The idea of donationtracker.org would be to form a website to help individuals keep track of these impulse donations and manage them. A user could budget the amount of money they`d like to donate to an array of organizations over a given period of time, say a month. Then, whenever you happen to be surfing on moveon.org or Doctors Without Borders or whatever, and you click donate now, a message is sent to your donationtracker.org account. This message could have all sort of valuable information and uses. For example, record keeping for tax deduction; employing the same technology as pandora or amazon, recommending non-profits you might like to donate to in the future; and just helping you budget your donations and informing you if you are going over budget. This sort of website is just one strategy to encourage such concepts as impulse giving or impulse saving.

2) AMPS (Audio Media Production Syndicate) - Think `the music co-op.` Does your city or campus or whatever community your in have a music co-op? Maybe it should. I`ve been wanting to start one for years ever since college. Think a record store, equipment sharing, information sharing/education center, musician:s network, collaboration space all in one. My interest here is mainly in creating a network of DJs, but I guess I could make allowances to let guitarists in as well. :P Not only would this involve a website with forums and craigslist.org-like classifieds, but actual real life collaboration, actual people in actual places starting music co-ops to share their knowledge, resources, time, energy, etc., to bring people together as only collaborative music can. If you already have an existing production company or record label, consider putting `Powered by AMPS` on your promotional material or CD jacket. Doesn`t that just sound cool?

3) Party for Peace Productions - If I ever start a production company, this is what I`d want it to be called. Concept is to throw great parties at a low cost, and put a portion of the profits toward charitable causes. Pretty much just a reworking of benefit concerts. It`s likely the production company would have to start out locally. I`m thinking San Francisco is really the ideal place for it, though NY, Tokyo or just about any major city would probably be worth a shot. The concept is to partner with locally based non-profits to help them plan fundraising events. At first, the parties would be more geared toward the capacity of the production crew to throw an awesome party. Over time, the business model would expand to accomodate the needs of different organizations and evolve to include a party planning contingent as well as just producers. For example, say a non-profit working for fair housing in Brooklyn wants to throw a party to raise money (and have fun) in NYC. Party for Peace would meet with the staff and assess what kind of party they would like to have, then set about producing said party. NOTE THAT ALL PLANNING WOULD BE DONE AT NO COST TO THE NON-PROFIT THEMSELVES. Revenue from the concert/party itself would go into paying for the cost of the party, raising substantial funds for the non-profit, and keeping Party for Peace sustainable. Naturally Party for Peace would want to consider adopting a non-profit ethic/business model for itself. In the case above, Party for Peace would recruit local artists and volunteer producers as much as possible. As I see it, it`s as much of a win-win situation as you can get in a production company: fun parties for non-profit workers who would probably be partying anyway and lord knows need some fun once the weekend comes around; raising money for good causes; giving exposure to local artists and upcoming talent who need a platform to build experience; helping those of us who like to party but don`t like our addiction to consumerism feel a little bit better about having fun with our friends on the weekend by creating a community of people who want to support each other to live better lives. (OK, this is definitely turning into a huge stretch. Should I create a `please criticize the hell out of this post icon` to solicit (de)constructive criticism?)

Chances are that prototypes of all these ideas are out there. I`d love your help in finding them. I`m also not sure whether all three meet the criteria of Lessig`s hybrid economies, or how they could or to what extent. Your comments could really help think these things through and go a step further putting thought into action.