In this dissertation, I address the relationship between the content and design of governmental websites and the ideological interests of the overseeing political administrations. Three case studies contrast the contemporary political climates in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Republic of Colombia, and the United Stastes with the form and function of their respective military recruitment homepages. Through a semiotic, and specifically multimodal lens, I aim to determine to what degree there is evidence of the governing poltical party’s ideological perspective on the websites. To accomplish this task, each case study is introduced by a brief contemporary history in order to provide a summary of key political events within state. Each case study then includes a detailed analysis of 3-4 governmental homepages. Within those analyses, a comprehensive multimodal analysis is conducted for the most evocative content on each homepage. Finally, conclusions are reached for each case study, paying special attention to the content found along the reading path.

In this dissertation, I address the relationship between the content and design of governmental websites and the ideological interests of the overseeing political administrations. Three case studies contrast the contemporary political climates in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the Republic of Colombia, and the United Stastes with the form and function of their respective military recruitment homepages. Through a semiotic, and specifically multimodal lens, I aim to determine to what degree there is evidence of the governing poltical party’s ideological perspective on the websites. To accomplish this task, each case study is introduced by a brief contemporary history in order to provide a summary of key political events within state. Each case study then includes a detailed analysis of 3-4 governmental homepages. Within those analyses, a comprehensive multimodal analysis is conducted for the most evocative content on each homepage. Finally, conclusions are reached for each case study, paying special attention to the content found along the reading path.