Social Semiotics

Social semiotics has been called the signs in society. Social semiotics were influenced by the work of Michael Halliday. So what are social semiotics? They are a type of communication that breaks down how people communicate through symbols and signs. For example, when you send a text message and add a smiley face at the end you are adding that symbol to convey happiness. This bring us to the methodology of social semiotics. So what is the methodology? This is a step by step approach for analyzing semiotic situations. Being able to break down a situation and organize key concepts can help understand semiotic concepts. I had a hard time finding a complete breakdown of the methodology behind social semiotics. In Semiosis we can see there are three categories which are composed of the personal world, material world, and social world. They are connected through sociality, embodiment, and materially. 

This stop sign is a symbol we all see on a daily basis. It obviously tells us to stop to inhibit and avoid crashes. This is an example of a social semiotic because it is a sign that has meaning behind it.