One important site of multimodal communication in our lives is social media platforms. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok use a combination of text, images, videos, and emojis to communicate messages to users. Multimodal analysis of meaning can prove useful in understanding the intended meanings behind posts, comments, and interactions on social media platforms.

For example, an analysis of the visual and textual elements of an Instagram post can reveal how the poster wants to communicate a particular message or image to their followers. The use of specific hashtags, emojis, or captions can contribute to the overall meaning of the post.

This type of analysis is important because social media platforms have become a critical site for communication, advertising, and political discourse. Multimodal analysis can provide insights into how individuals or groups use these platforms to communicate their messages, influence opinions, and mobilize their followers.

Traditional notions of literacy, which focus primarily on reading and writing skills, do not account for the complexities of multimodal communication in the digital age. Multimodal analysis expands our understanding of literacy to include the ability to decode and create meaning from various modes of communication, including text, images, videos, and sound. As such, educators must recognize the importance of multimodal literacy and integrate it into their teaching practices to prepare students for the challenges of the digital age.