Semio-Semantic Analysis of Facebook: The Digital Colonization of Untouched and Untold Fabrications

Abstract

This paper presents a semio-semantic analysis of Facebook, one of the most widely used social media platforms today, with the aim of uncovering the digital colonization of untouched and untold fabrications within the platform. To do so, firstly, this paper explores how the logo and icon of Facebook create different meanings in association with contexts. Then, it focuses on what impact, in terms of digital colonization, do these meanings have on Facebook itself and its users. The study employs qualitative descriptive methods to analyze the connotation and denotation of the words "Facemash", "[thefacebook]", and "Facebook" as well as their individual components, "face", "mash", and "book". Additionally, the study also semiotically examines the appearance, color, and shape of the Facebook logo and icon, and their modifications over time. The results reveal that there is a subtle form of digital colonization taking place on Facebook, with certain meanings and beliefs being embedded within the platform through these semiotic and semantic elements.