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Semiotics
Sign	Something which can stand for something else
Code	Written or symbolic tools used to suggest meaning in media forms
Convention	Accepted ways of using media code
Dominant Signifier	The main representative
Anchorage	Words with an image to provide context
Ferdinand de Saussure
Signifier	Stands in for something else
Signified	Idea being evoked by signifier
C S Pierce
Icon	A sign that looks like its object
Index	A sign that has a link to its object
Symbol	A sign that has a more random link to its object
Roland Barthes
Signification	Structural levels of signification, meaning or representation
Denotation	The most basic or literal meaning of a sign
Connotation	Signs that are used as signifiers for a secondary meaning
Myth	Naturalizes events, turning history into nature
Ideology	Codes that reinforce or are congruent with structures of power
Radical	Something that challenges dominant ideas
Reactionary	Something that confirms dominant ideas

Paradigm	A collection of similar signs
Syntagm	The sequence in which signs work

Semiotics – the study of signs

C S Pierce, an American philosopher, logician, mathematician and scientist, divided signs into three distinct categories:

An Iconic Sign: (a sign that looks like its object) the newspaper, the television, the radio

An Indexical Sign: (a sign that has a link to its object) the word ‘Media’, the words ‘DAILY NEWS’, the Facebook ‘F’

A Symbolic Sign: (a sign that has an arbitrary or random link to its object) YouTube logo, Instagram logo, Snapchat logo

	Media Forms	Characteristics	Examples
1.	Television	Visual	The Walking Dead
2.	Film	Visual	Back to the Future
3.	Radio	Audio	BBC Radio 2
4.	Newspapers	Visual	The JEP
5.	Magazines	Visual	National Geographic
6.	Advertising and Marketing	Visual/Audio	“Go Compare” (gocompare.com)
7.	Online, Social and Participatory Media	Visual/Audio	Instagram
8.	Video Games	Visual	Minecraft
9.	Music Videos	Visual/Audio