Analyzing Government Anti-Harassment Poster's Scripto-Iconic Message
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Themes
Harassment, awareness campaign, government poster, online harassment, consent, adolescents, social networks, digital world, cyberbullying, education
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Abstract
Discover how a powerful government awareness poster combats harassment among adolescents. Featuring a striking visual composition and simple yet effective messaging, this poster highlights the potential harm of sharing photos without consent. Learn how a collective effort can prevent harassment and promote a safer digital environment. Understand the importance of consent in the digital age and the role you can play in stopping harassment
Extract
[...] They are laughing and seem to be mocking the fourth teenager, who is alone and checking her smartphone. The young girl appears isolated, which contrasts with the laughing attitude of the other three. One of the members is marginalized by the group. The posture of the isolated young girl suggests that she is the target of her classmates' attacks. The main message is written in large letters at the top of the poster, which is: photo is personal. Sharing it is harassment. [...]
[...] The scene is organized to highlight a contrast between the majority, the three harassers, and the victim. The spatial arrangement and posture (sitting, looking at the smartphone or laughing) are simple visual morphemes. As for the text, it is composed of short phrases. The first two phrases are built on a parallelism: photo is personal. Sharing it is harassment.' We can break it down into two lexical units: 'photo' and 'personal' on one side and 'share' and 'harass' on the other. [...]
[...] The structure highlights the cause-and-effect relationship between the action of sharing a photograph and harassment. The final sentence 'No to harassment' is an imperative statement. It is a slogan that serves as a conclusion. 5 - Semantic Relations « A photo is personal' emphasizes the private nature of photographs. This highlights the need to obtain the consent of the person photographed. 'Sharing it is harassment' establishes a cause-and-effect relationship. The action of sharing infringes on the dignity of the person photographed. [...]
[...] This can be likened to harassment. The statement 'No to harassment' expresses a moral norm that must be followed; it rejects a harmful behavior. The presence of the government logo and the hotline number reinforces the idea that the fight against harassment is a collective responsibility: everyone must act to prevent harassment. The adolescent's posture in front of the group functions as a metaphor for exclusion and vulnerability. The scripto-iconic relationship evokes the risk of uncontrolled diffusion of personal images. [...]
