The Use of Semiotics in Understanding and Interpreting Images Essay

The Use of Semiotics in Understanding and Interpreting Images - Essay Example This paper illustrates that in the society today, an audiovisual culture has developed and is slowly superseding the reading and writing culture. Images are seen in cinemas, magazines, posters, books, newspapers, TVs, clothes and on computer screens. This develops a need for understanding and interpreting the meanings of images. Ideologies, myths, and connotations are mostly embedded in images making it difficult to understand. To achieve this, semiotics is used in analyzing the innate understanding and meanings behind images seen in the society today. This is because semiotics puts an emphasis on the communication of visuals and the kind of system that dominates the images being presented. Semiotics is an apparatus that is associated directly with the existing culture or trends in a society. Fashion today and the images presented by what people put on from clothes, shoes, hairstyle, and jewelry may be difficult to understand. This is because of the many features that it has. However , the images created by what people put on convey a lot of information about the characters, attitude, and moods of individuals. Advertisements also use images which carry a lot of message about the product being advertised. In the society today, advertisements are mostly used to introduce fashion to the society which keeps on changing over time. The semiotics theory explains that advertisements involve images that trigger emotions, feelings, moods, and attributes. This is achieved by the use of objects which create images in the minds of people. Adverts use images which connect objects with the real life to clearly pass the message needed. Advertisements are mostly used to signify, represent people and use objects that are most desired by people.