Understanding Media Semiotics

Media semiotics is a valuable method of focusing on the hidden meanings within media texts. This book offers students an in-depth guide to help them investigate and understand the media using semiotic theory. It assumes little previous knowledge of the field, avoiding jargon and explaining the issues step by step. The two basic features of the methods used are the historical study of media and their genre and the analysis of the meaning structures that such genres encode. Semiotic analysis is sometimes seen as complicated and difficult to understand; Marcel Danesi shows that on the contrary it can be readily understood and can greatly enrich students' understanding of media texts, from print media right through to the internet. Contents......Page 6 Introduction......Page 8 1 The mediated world......Page 12 What is a medium?......Page 13 Development of the mass media......Page 18 Basic notions......Page 28 Semiotic method......Page 34 2 An outline of semiotic theory......Page 39 Background and general notions......Page 40 Narrative......Page 56 Metaphor......Page 59 3 Print media......Page 65 The development of print media......Page 66 Books......Page 72 Newspapers......Page 80 Magazines......Page 85 Recorded music......Page 92 Rock music......Page 99 The radio......Page 109 5 Film......Page 118 Motion pictures......Page 119 Cinema and postmodernism......Page 133 Cinema genres......Page 139 6 Television......Page 145 The advent of TV......Page 146 The impact of TV......Page 153 TV and social change......Page 161 7 The computer and the Internet......Page 168 Computer media......Page 169 The Internet......Page 176 The computer and the mind......Page 182 8 Advertising......Page 189 What is advertising?......Page 190 Creating a signification system......Page 195 Advertising textuality......Page 199 9 Social impacts of the media......Page 212 Overview......Page 213 Mediation......Page 218 Concluding reflections......Page 227 A......Page 229 C......Page 230 E......Page 232 H......Page 233 M......Page 234 N......Page 235 O......Page 236 P......Page 237 S......Page 238 W......Page 240 Bibliography......Page 241 C......Page 256 D......Page 257 G......Page 258 L......Page 259 N......Page 260 R......Page 261 S......Page 262 W......Page 263 Z......Page 264 "Media semiotics is a valuable method of focusing on the hidden meanings within media texts. This book offers students an in-depth guide to help them investigate and understand the media using semiotic theory. It assumes little previous knowledge of the field, avoiding jargon and explaining the issues step by step." "The two basic features of the method used are the historical study of media and their genres and the analysis of the meaning structures that such genres encode. Semiotic analysis is sometimes seen as complicated and difficult to understand; Marcel Danesi shows that on the contrary it can readily be understood and can greatly enrich students' understanding of media texts, from print media right through to the Internet."--Jacket Machine generated contents note: 1 The mediated world What is a medium? Development of the mass media Basic notions Semiotic method 2 An outline of semiotic theory Background and general notions Narrative Metaphor 3 Print media The development of print media Books Newspapers Magazines 4 Audio media Recorded music Rock music The radio 5 Film Motion pictures Cinema and postmodernism Cinema genres 6 Television The advent of TV The impact of TV TV and social change 7 The computer and the Internet Computer media The Internet The computer and the mind 8 Advertising What is advertising? Creating a signification system Advertising textuality 9 Social impacts of the media Overview Mediation Concluding reflections.