Remix Semiosis as Ideology Critique : A Visual Semiotic Study of Critical Remix Video
Part of : Γράμμα : περιοδικό θεωρίας και κριτικής ; Vol.20, 2012, pages 127-144
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127-144
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Critical Remix Video (CRV) has become a potentially powerful and persuasivealternative to mainstream commercial advertising. Many producersof such work seek to convince audiences that dominant media messagescommunicate inherently false ideological meanings by exposing contradictionsand hypocrisies in these messages. However, CRVs themselvescommunicate equally contradictory ideological meanings in employingtechniques of media manipulation, deception and censorship in their design.This study interrogates and deconstructs the visual signs in CRVs and exploresthe role and influence of ideology in the construction of meaningscommunicated to online audiences by such work. The findings of this inquiryshould increase our understanding of how CRVs are constructed andwhy they are produced and enable future producers to improve the efficacyof subsequent iterations by revealing the inherent weaknesses in the currentstate of the art. A visual semiotic analysis of a representative sample ofCRVs was carried out which found that in the process of unmasking theideology in the subject of its critique, each CRV formulated a counter-ideologyand made truth-claims that are equally susceptible to subsequent critique.Inadvertently, CRVs enable us to see more clearly that claims to truth,whether received through mainstream or alternative channels, cannot beaccepted at face value and must be critically evaluated and considered inrelation to the relative positions of the senders and receivers of the messages.Despite such dilemmas, CRVs represent an authentic opportunityfor grassroots activist filmmakers to have their voices heard on a globalstage, utilizing the full potential of digital networking and mobile technologiesas well as spreadable media content and online distribution platforms
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References (1):
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