Critique of the Applied Methods of Pictorial Content Analysis and Providing a Proper Model

One of the most important issues discussed in the field of communication is the question of presenting proper methods and frameworks of analyzing and criticizing communicative messages. Unfortunately, due to researchers’ unfamiliarity with the limitations and capacities of the existing methods no proper methods are used for analyzing the messages. The present paper seeks to review and criticize theorist's views about the methods of semiotics and discourse analysis, that is, the two important methods used for analyzing pictorial messages because there are many similarities and differences between semiotic and discourse approaches. One of the differences is that semiotic approach takes care of the way of conveying the meaning by means of representation and language and that the discourse approach emphasizes on the effects of representation, its policies and historical particularity of a certain form or regime of representation. The aim is to provide a certain framework for criticizing and analyzing pictorial messages and the limitations and capacities of the applied methods. Finally, the paper provides a proper framework for analyzing pictorial messages, based on John Fiske’s view.