How we think about age is partially constructed by the way that advertising communicates themes, values and behaviour. By looking at some of the metaphors about ageing used in different socio-cultural contexts, this provides a frame for developing a semiotic map of the meaning in age related advertising. It also raises considerations for how society will ‘talk’ about age, in an area of science and medicine that is taking larger strides every year.
Category Archives: semiotics
Vigilantism and Justice in modern society: a popular culture analysis
posted by Culture Decanted
The last few years have not been good ones for law enforcement and the Justice system. There is a growing perception that Justice is not what it once was: there is corruption, the law has been abused, inequality is rising and crime appears to go unpunished. A hypothesis expanded here, is that popular culture is framing the way that many in western cultures perceive the law, the legal profession and our law enforcers. If this is correct, is this inviting some to start to think of acting for justice outside of the law?
Some anthropological perspectives on eating: east or west
posted by Culture Decanted
From an anthropological perspective, food is part of how we identify ourselves and also the cultures we belong to. Food structures our identities, social behaviour and frames our concepts of others. Food is one of the ways we most commonly experience foreign foods. What we don’t eat is as important to what we do in defining who we are. We can look at the similarities and differences between ‘east and western’ cuisines as an illustrative tension of formative cultural identity.
The Semiotics of Cutlery: Eating food symbolically off course.
posted by Culture Decanted
Hunger is a universal physiological drive but we also take great delight in eating. While cuisines and cooking is astonishingly diverse, cutlery has remained remarkably elementary. While we need to eat, food more broadly is used across individual, social and cultural dimensions to build, share and demarcate our identities. How and what meaning cutlery adds to this semiotic conversation is worth degustation. Cut, Stab and Scoop are how we eat, but what meaning is within these gestures?
The Psychology of the Maze as a Modern Symbol
posted by Culture Decanted
Why are we still a-maze-d by labyrinths? With a diverse range of permutations, the Maze is a symbol that has been with humanity since the pre-historic era. So pervasive is the labyrinth within human symbolic communication, it is impossible to think of a human era where it was not a deep structural metaphor […]
Why are we so scared of tomorrow? [Part 1]
posted by Culture Decanted
Why are we so scared of tomorrow? To paraphrase the British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, ‘humankind has never had it so good’. Well it’s probably more accurate to say that in many ways our collective-cultures have never been so advanced, with the potential of helping so many. So why do we find western culture […]
What is a real carrot?
posted by Culture Decanted
What is a real carrot? About a week ago, I was speaking to a mum and the topic of shopping in supermarkets came up. It was a wide-ranging conversation and the benefits and concerns she expressed about shopping were similar to what other mums have talked about. In summary, supermarkets are convenient, good value and […]
I see my name in my soup [names: part 4]
posted by Culture Decanted
“I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well.” ― Henry David Thoreau, Walden Is everything about me? From antiquity, there was power of knowing the names of things and naming the world. The way we use names and identity are changing in society, […]
Names that shape us [names: part 3]
posted by Culture Decanted
People’s fates are simplified by their names. Elias Canetti The preceding discussion, I was looking at the mythical and historical power in naming things. There is another aspect to this discussion is the power our names have over our actions: consciously and subconsciously. “…(there is) the sometimes quite grotesque coincidence between a man’s name […]
The Signature Resigned [Names: part 2]
posted by Culture Decanted
Proper names are poetry in the raw. Like all poetry they are untranslatable. W. H. Auden It is easier than ever to have multiple identities online; allowing us to be the virtual persona we might wish we could be. At a time when individualism is a driving force in western society, it’s ironic that so […]
The Power of Naming. [NAMES: PART 1]
posted by Culture Decanted
The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.–Chinese Proverb Naming things is a human need. Naming things is how we make sense of the universe. Francis Bacon popularised the saying ‘knowledge is power’ and there is power in naming things. It’s a common genesis story across a range of different […]
A RED HERRING [ SEEING RED: PART 4 ]
posted by Culture Decanted
“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember, […]
BEING IN THE RED [ SEEING RED: PART 3]
posted by Culture Decanted
“The effect of this colour is as peculiar as its nature. It conveys an impression of gravity and dignity, and at the same time of grace and attractiveness”. -J.W Goethe An evolutionary perspective alone doesn’t shed light on why we see red used in so many different contexts. As discussed previously, our attraction to […]
Why does red flag sex? [Seeing Red: Part 2]
posted by Culture Decanted
Why does red flag sex? Red is also a sensual colour. There have been studies that link the colour red to the perceived attractiveness of partners. When men or women wear red, they appear more attractive to their partners. While some connotations of red are socio-cultural, we find many shades of red in the animal world, from […]
What is our appetite for the colour Red? [ Seeing Red: Part 1]
posted by Culture Decanted
“I love bright red drinks, don’t you? They taste twice as good as any other color.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables What is our appetite for the colour Red? From an evolutionary perspective, the colour red is believed to excite and engage our eyes because it was a beneficial evolutionary-adaptation for a […]
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