SEMIOTICS

SEMIOTICS (also called semiology) is the science of signs, that is, the systematic analysis of language, symbol and image, in order to discover how meaning is created. This approach is associated with Ferdinand de Saussure (1857 - 1913) who explains a sign as being made up of two parts: a signifier (the physical appearance or form which the sign takes) and a signified (the idea or concept it represents).

• Signs take the form of words, images or objects. 
• Signs are arbitrary. Think of the different words used for 'rose' or 'chair' in different languages. 
• This means that these things have no intrinsic meaning in themselves and become signs only when they are invested with meaning. For Peirce, 'Nothing is a sign until it is interpreted as a sign.' (Peirce 1931)
• A sign 'stands for' or refers to something other than itself.

Daniel Chandler, University Of Aberystwyth: DIY Semiotics
Daniel Chandler: Semiotics for Beginners

MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

For Abraham Maslow (1954), human behaviour reflects a hierarchy of needs which range from the most fundamental needs for food, warmth and security through to those related to our personal development. Once lower-order needs are met, people feel free to seek satisfaction of higher-order needs.

Unsatisfied needs motivate our behaviour. Lifestyle magazines, advertisements and television, amongst other media, offer promises to fulfil our needs to be accepted into social groups and our need for self-esteem. Maslow's theory provides a framework for understanding how media works and why certain products have the power to attract us.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

BLUMLER AND BROWN: AUDIENCE NEEDS
THE USES AND GRATIFICATIONS AUDIENCE MODEL
Blumler and Brown (1972) identified four main needs that audiences seek to satisfy in consuming media:

1. Diversion: the need for entertainment, escapism
2. Personal relationships: the value of information in conversation; media as substitution for companionship
3. Personal identity: the need for reinforcement of our beliefs; self-understanding
4. Surveillance: the need for information about the world, which might help us survive or succeed