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1. Roland Barthes – Leading theorist in the study of semiotics
2. C.S. Pierce – The father of the iconic, indexical and symbolic signs theory and was an American philosopher
3. Ferdinand de Saussure – Swiss linguist and semiotician. His ideas laid a foundation for many significant developments in both linguistics and semiology
4. Semiotics – Study of signs
5. Sign – An action used to represent information, meaning and/or instructions, or the smallest unit of meaning, anything that can be used to communicate
6. Signifier – A sign’s physical form (such as a sound, printed word, or image) as distinct from its meaning (Saussure)
7. Signified – The meaning or idea expressed by a sign, as distinct from the physical form in which it is expressed (Saussure)
8. Iconic sign – A sign that looks like its object
9. Indexical sign – A sign that has a link to its object
10. Symbolic sign – A sign that has an arbitrary or random link to its object
11. Code – A system of words, letters, figures, or symbols that are used to represent others
12. Dominant Signifier – Most important sign
13. Anchorage – When a piece of media uses another piece of media to reduce the amount of connotations in the first, e.g. pictures are accompanied by a caption in newspapers. Some signs are like anchors and provide anchorage
14. Dominant Ideology – A system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy. Set of ideas, beliefs and values
15. Paradigm – A distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, and standards for what constitutes legitimate contribution fields. A collection of signs
16. Syntagm – A linguistic unit consisting of a set of linguistic forms (phonemes, words, or phrases) that are in a sequential relationship to one another. Where a number of signs need each other
17. Signifcation – The representation or conveying of meaning
18. Denotation – The most basic or literal meaning of a sign, e.g., the word “rose” signifies a particular kind of flower
19. Connotation – An idea or feeling which a word invokes for a person in addition to its literal or primary meaning
20. Myth – A widely held or false belief or idea accepted by society
21. Radical text – Challenges the dominant ideology
22. Reactionary text – Supports the dominant ideology

What is Media?

Media is a method of communication that can be used to promote things and is used to reach people all over the world. Media is also technology and is used when producing/making films or tv shows etc.

What is Media Studies?

Media Studies is the study of different types of media such as magazines, newspapers, advertisements and more. Different types of media are needed as it helps to reach a larger range of people and different people read or look at different things. Every type of media is different and is used for different purposes. You also learn skills and can prepare you to work in the media industry.

What is the point of Media Studies?

The point of Media Studies is to make people more aware of what actually goes on behind the scenes and people can have a higher understanding of how media actually works or how magazines/newspapers are made. For example if you were an entrepreneur then you would want to know how to make your product appealing to the target market and want to advertise your product.