N G M E S S A G ES A N D / O R
EV A LU A TI
O F D I F F E R EN T T Y P E S O F
IM A G E S
R E FL E C T IN G D IF F E RE N T
TE X T S
CULTURES
The advancements in digital technology paved the way
to innovative modes and platforms of communication.
The massive and rapid developments in digital
communications ushered in a new era of communication
does not simply rely on words, but also on images and
other semiotics of the channel used to convey message.
THE POWER OF WORDS AND IMAGES
Look at the illustration on international arrivals below. Answer the five key
questions that follow.
Five Key Questions:
1. What is the message?
2. What is the purpose of the
message?
3. How is the message conveyed (by
the text and/or image)?
4. Who is the target audience of the
message?
5. What other ways of presenting
the message are there?
The illustration sends a relatively vivid and
powerful message not just through the use of a
careful juxtaposition of text and illustration, but
also because of the other semiotics elements
such as color combinations. This is called a
multimodal presentations.
MULTIMODALITY
Multimodality is a fairly new concept in the general academic setting, but
can be a very powerful tool in light of digital and multicultural communication.
A text or outputs is considered multimodal if uses two or more communication
modes to make meaning. It shows different ways of knowledge
representations and meaning-making, and investigates contributions of semiotic
resources (language, gestures, images) are co-deployed across various
modalities (visual, aural, somatic, etc). Most importantly, multimodality
highlights the significance of interaction and integration in constructing a
coherent text.
PURPOSE, AUDIENCE, CONTEXT
As to purpose, the creator of the text must be clear on the message and the
reason(s) why the message has to be delivered.
As to audience, the nature, interests and sensitivities of the target audience must
be considered so the text will not be offensive and hurt people’s sensibilities.
As to context, the message should be clearly delivered through various semiotic
resources, and in consideration of the various situations where and how the text
will be read by different people having different socio-cultural backgrounds.
BE PURPOSEFUL IN THE CHOICES YOU MAKE.