Social Semiotics What, Who, and Why? Discovered by Ferdinand de Saussure, social semiotics is the exploration and discovery the ways humans attach meaning to specific social practices and systems. Semiotic methodology identifies the meaning represented in messages with and without a language aspect, including signs, symbols, sculptures, art/imagery, messages, many more communicative forms (Mingers and Willcocks, 2017). Semiotics aim to look deeper than language, interpreting meaning beyond it. This type of understanding is important to the interpretation of human insights. Cultural and societal context is expressed through gestures, actions, and imagery and differs across the globe. Visuals are impactful on societies, students, audiences and can be used to help in learning, advertising, and propaganda. The Rules There are rules that apply to this methodology. There are two parts to a sign: signifier and signified . The signifier is the physical representation prese...