Evan Reynante

  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332991173_Social_Semiotics The term ‘social semiotics’ came from Michael Halliday in his book, " Language as Social Semiotic in 1978." Yet, since that time many other scholars have interpreted his theory beyond that origination. For example, Gunther Kress, a University College London scholar, expanded on this theory to introduce the concept that meaning can be drawn from a multitude of resources beyond the principles of language only. Along with other colleagues, his aim was to establish a framework that included socio-cultural concepts. In other words, to make meaning of something you must look beyond language only but also include a context in which information could be taken, interpreted, and derived within a socio-cultural filter. In short, you can not have one without the other. Therefore, theorists developed a framework of interconnected principles that have been expanded over time to explain how information, objects, or people...

  It is easy to identify with fictional stories and their characters. We see these through many different forms of media, books, tv shows, movies, video games, etc..., we find relatable and/or likeable personalities that are humorous, skilled, adventurous, quick-witted, or even larger-than-life. Something we all hope to be, in some shape or form. Once you can identify a piece of yourself in a story, you can easily form a debate, which can escalate when you believe one movie/TV show is better than the other in the pop culture universe. In this week's discussion, I looked at the classic comparison of Star Wars vs Star Trek, a debate that has likely been going on for decades now. A primary discussion forum is linked below the blog.  After reading the discussions online, three takeaways can be made on what  not to do  during this type of online communication. The first is never to fault someone else for having a different perspective than you. Second, never let language ...

  Stephen Edelston Toulmin was born in 1922 and dedicated much of his professional career to developing ways to objectively analyze moral reasoning. Over his career, he developed a sequential model consisting of six components that could assist in any form of rebuttal, argument, or analysis of beliefs. The following components are the foundation of his model; they include Claim, Data/Grounds, Warrant, Backing, Rebuttal/Reservation, and Qualification.  Although I was never formally introduced to the Toulmin Method before this discussion, I have experienced components that encompass this model; what is interesting is that this same approach can now be applied to online communications. The internet is filled with different perspectives, and it may be beneficial to understand the Toulmin Method to better understand different biases we may find. For example, the news media is filled with highly politically charged stories. From immigration to economic issues, many stories seem to b...