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The thesis deals with representation of cyborgs in advertising on mobile phones from Apple and Samsung. The aim is to show how this theoretical concept - a cyborg as human in intimate relationship with technology - is depicted in advertising. The concept of the work deals with the origin of the term cyborg, its development and its display in art, literature, movies and in works in field of humanities. When examining cyborgs, we use notes from philosophers and science historians, D. Haraway, K. Hayles, A. Clark, W. Mitchell. Their concept of the cyborg is more about mental rather than physical connection to the machine. Here, the mobile phone is used as an extension of people's skills, mental and physical, even without having the device implanted into their body. It corresponds to the idea of human as a cyborg, because the phone as a technology and its user creates a single being, which is now part human part machine. For theoretical base, papers on visual communication, advertising and semiotics were used. This thesis intends to defend the idea of humans as cyborgs and to show how advertisements display relationship between humans and technology, and how new positions of power are created in this ideological environment.

Over the years emojis have become a fundamental and natural part in online based communication. Due to this emojis have also entered the judicial system by appearing in several court cases, used as evidence for or against intent to commit crime. This essay studies relevant cases presented in Swedish trials to better understand how emojis are interpreted and processed within Swedish law. Additional interviews help to further examine possible approaches for a more trustworthy emoji-interpretation by the judicial system. The essays main findings further indicate that emojis are complex when used as evidence. This due to their ambiguity as well as not yet being an established part in court cases - furthermore complicating the judicial process of decoding these symbols. In addition, the essay finds that emojis' meanings are largely tied to culture and are also often platform-based. In order to avoid misunderstandings and wrongful decoding from litigators, this essays results proposes two main solutions: (1) organizations such as Unicode, as well as different platforms, should have a greater responsibility when technically standardizing emojis, to reduce misunderstandings. (2) Courts should at a higher rate introduce experts, such as linguists or emoji-experts, to ensure that emojis are decoded in a proper way.

This study examines representations of Inuit people in the photographic images of the National Geographic with the aim of analyzing how they are portrayed in the photographs in which they appear. The theoretical framework consists of theories on representation with a focus on postcolonial theory, otherness and Eskimo Orientalism. The underlying methodological framework is constructivism while the method of semiotic approach as defined by Ronald Barthes is used to analyze the data. The researcher coded photographs of Inuit and examined how meanings are created through ‘the signs’ present in the images, before identifying the denotative and connotative meanings attached to the images. The main coding factors were look, appearance, activities, surroundings and use of technology. Conclusion is that portrayals of Inuit in the National Geographic from 1990 to 2010 have strong presence of stereotypes as well as myth but after that period the presence of stereotypes diminishes.

This thesis seeks to analyse a critical juncture in the aftermath of the Brexit vote; Theresa May’s Brexit negotiations. This was a highly contentious time for politics in the UK, eventually leading to an extension on the initial deadline being granted and May’s resignation from the post of Prime Minister. By examining these negotiations through the lens of user-generated memes, the researcher finds a contemporary way to understand the interactive role citizens play in contributing to political discourse. This thesis asks how such discourses are playing out over social media visuals, and in turn, which symbols are being utilized to reflect these discourses. After a thorough investigation of the symbolism at play, ranging from flags to diversity, the researcher concludes that memes make a valuable and creative contribution to political discourse, and should not be disregarded as facetious; indeed their humour allows a fresh take on a serious issue. This thesis takes inspiration from a Research Methodology assignment written as a pilot for this study, entitled, “Exploring discourses of the Brexit negotiations through social media visuals: A visual analysis and discussion of research methods”.

Detta arbete undersöker om det går att förklara varför bilder i Shaun Tans bok Ankomsten upplevs som obehagliga. Teorin i uppsatsen grundar sig till stor del på ”das unheimlich”, ett uttryck myntat av Freud och som i uppsatsen beskrivs som det kusliga. Andra teorier är kognitiv dissonans och hyperbol. För att analysera bilderna definieras frågor baserade på teorins grundpunkter. I resultatet visar det sig att nästan alla bilder är länkade till det kusliga, ibland i kombination med andra teorier. Det görs också analyser om huruvida objektens skala och proportioner kan ha en inverkan eller inte, baserat på ”grodperspektivet”. I analysen görs även några liknelser till propagandaposters från andra världskriget, vilket länkas till ”mentala triggers”. I slutsatsen konstateras det att arbetet kunde blivit utförligare om det under forskningen funnits fler anledningar till obehag som kan länkas till bilderna. Det fanns även ett problem med att förklara varför många upplever vissa saker som obehagliga och dessa fick refereras till fobier, även om detta inte helt stämmer, och upplevelserna egentligen kan beskrivas som rädslor. För vidare forskning föreslås fokusgrupper för att testa uppfattningar med en kvantitativ metod samt att analysera historien utifrån ett genusperspektiv där huvudrollen i stället hade varit en kvinna. / This paper investigates if it is possible to explain why pictures in Shaun Tans book The Arrival are experienced as unpleasant. The theory of the essay is mainly based on "das unheimlich" coined by Freud and is in the essay described as “uncanny”. Other theories are based on cognitive dissonance and hyperbole. In order to analyse the images content, questions based on the basic points of the theories are defined. As a result, it turns out nearly all pictures are linked to uncanny, sometimes in combination with other theories. Analyses regarding if scale and proportions of objects can make an impact are also made, based on the "frog perspective". Some similarities between images in “The Arrival” and propaganda posters from World War II can be observed, which can be linked to mental triggers. In the discussions, it is made clear that the research could have developed further if more reasons for discomfort were investigated while observing the images. There was also a problem with explaining why many observers are experiencing some elements as unpleasant and these elements are in the paper referred to as phobias, even though this not quite accurate and should be referred to as fears. In order to carry on further research, focus groups are suggested to test perceptions with a quantitative method. Also, to look at the story from a gender perspective, and to see what would be different if the main character was a female.

Submitted in the fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of the DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Department of African Languages, at the University of Zululand, 2010. / This study gives the critical analysis of Ngcobo’s sociological radio plays. The written plays are examined. The work is arranged as follows: Chapter one is the general introduction of the study. It paves the way the study will be conducted which includes among other things; hypothesis, aim of study, scope of study, definition of concepts, research methodology, theoretical approaches to the study, the characteristic nature of radio drama, an influence of traditional drama and the synopsis of all serial radio plays. Chapter two explores the various theoretical approaches that are applicable in such the study of radio plays; inter alia; sociological, structuralism, reader, moral – philosophical, reception, intention, historical – biographical, semiotics and New Criticism approaches. Chapter three looks at the understanding structure of the radio plays where amongst other things explores the aspects of society that radio play addresses. It gives comparisons of social aspects, social disorder / revolt and looks at how Ngcobo addresses such social revolts in order to bring about social restoration. Chapter four focuses on the comparisons of the radio plays with regard to style, temporal which includes time and space. It further focuses characters / actors and narration. Chapter five looks at the linguistic appropriateness of the radio plays. It seeks to ascertain Ngcobo’s language how it suits his characters, situation, addresses the questions and answers’ relationships as they crop up in the plays. Monologue as an integral part of psychological process describes a mode of mental processes which include sadness, elation and desolation as felt by characters. It assesses Ngcobo’s usage of dialogue and also looks at other factors such as mood, place, sound effects, music and sound effectiveness as important components that heighten the development of the play to the horizons for its effectiveness. Chapter six deals with meaning and interpretation of the radio plays whereby it deals with the intention, significance, emerging factors that arise further enhance the development of the plays. Apparent and challenges that the playwright poses on his plays are also highlighted. Chapter seven is the concluding chapter. This looks at the thesis in its final analysis which gives the summary, findings and observations. It examines the challenges and contributions of the study with a critical overview and conclusions. Lastly it suggests some future research on the study of serial radio drama by showing the important elements as discovered in this study.

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Humans engage with a variety of symbols in daily life. Perhaps the most common symbol form is language where we represent myriad concepts, ideas, and notions through strings of sounds and letters. Human communication is also facilitated through other non-verbal symbol modalities ranging from body language/gestures (e.g., crossed arms, thumbs up) to objects (clothing as an indication of social status), and signs (red octagon means stop). Child language research has explored symbolic cognition and its emergence in development, but fundamental questions remain regarding symbolic thinking in adulthood and the impact a symbolic deficit can have on communication. A novel, neurologically-constrained model of symbolic representation is proposed and investigated which aims to addresses open challenges in exploring symbolic cognition. In Chapter 1, SymCog, a novel toolkit to evaluate symbolic representation is developed and normed in a series of three studies. This toolkit and its task, the Symbol Identification Task, are premised upon matching animated video depictions of abstract concepts to their corresponding verbal and non-verbal symbols. Results showed individuals can consistently match different symbol modalities (words, images) to shared concept animations. Chapter 2 assesses performance in the Symbol Identification Task in neurotypical adults receiving inhibitory brain stimulation [i.e., transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the temporoparietal junction]. Chapter 3 evaluates two cases of persons with aphasia (PWA) in the same task. The goal of these studies was to isolate the neurological-constraints of the model and identify how symbol processing can be impaired. Findings showed reduced performance in the inhibitory stimulation group; highlighting the role of the temporoparietal junction in symbol processing. Results from PWA revealed one case had poor performance across both word and image symbol modalities. Chapter 4 further investigates neurological constraints of the model in an EEG/ERP study. This study assessed N400 deflections during a modified Symbol Identification Task, where frontal-central electrodes were most active. Taken together, these chapter findings suggested two cortical regions potentially support symbolic cognition, including the temporoparietal junction and left central frontal cortex. The results also suggest that impairments in one symbol modality (e.g., words in aphasia) might also present in other modalities for shared concepts. These studies offer insights regarding the cognitive mechanisms involved in symbolic cognition and how they can be impaired. With the use of contemporary tools, such as the SymCog toolkit, future research can better recognize the human capacity to understand and use symbols. / Communication Sciences

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