Semiotics With Special Reference To Leonardo Dicaprio's Oscar Memes?

2.2 Concepts

The concept in this study is the general idea about the definition of the title “Semiotics with Special Reference to Leonardo Dicaprio’s Oscar Memes”. There are three concepts those are; the concept of semiotics, the concept of memes and the concept of Oscar.

2.2.1 Concept of Semiotics

Semiotics or semiology, is the study of signs, symbols, and signification especially as elements of language or other systems of communication. In a semiotic sense, signs take the forms of words, images, sounds, gestures and objects. Its two major founders were the American Philosopher C.S. Peirce and the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. Both Peirce and Saussure base their theories on the fundamental distinction in the sign between the

The word “meme” is usually bound with evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. He described it as a natural human spreading, replication, and modification of ideas and culture. According to Dawkins, melodies, ideas, common phrases, styles of clothes, and ways of building arcs are the examples of memes.

There are some aspects included in memes such as art, creativity, message and humor. According to Hornby (2008:275) meme is a type of behavior that is passed from one member of a group or another, not in the genes but by another means such as people copying it. A meme is basically an idea, a message that is spread from person to person, in most cases it is a message highly targeted and spread by users for a niche or within a subculture. Today, the majority of memes is captioned photos that are intended for humor, shock-value, life lesson, philosophical content and social commentary. There are some kinds of meme, such as sad, happy and mocking meme. According to Hornby (2008:283) mock means comment or actions intended to make somebody or something seem ridiculous. Mocking meme is a modern meme that serves a humor or jokes toward somebody or something in ridiculous purposes of human