Multimodal Semiotics and Collaborative Design

designers and their meaning-making practices through the use of multimodal semiotic resources
that are provided by SL and other media in naturally occurring (authentic) social settings.
As a final point, I consider the socio-semiotic optic as a critical lens to evaluate the effects of social
relations of hierarchy and power on co-production of virtual places. In my analytical framework, I
consider the socio-semiotic power relations among designers, users and platform developers as a
constituent of the analytical matrix. I use the findings of the aforementioned research studies on
collaboration, content-generation and design in VWs to analyze potentialities and niches in the
field, while consulting their methodological and epistemological premises to frame my research
properly within the existing literature. I consider the various perspectives on the socio-cultural
dimensions of co-production helpful guidelines to keep the critical analytical stance towards the
subject, and consider not only the affordances but also perceived constraints and limitations within
the analytical foci. In fact, I relate the issues of ownership and co-creation of user-generated
content closely with the theoretical framing of multimodal discourse production. In the following
chapter on social semiotic theory, I will argue the role of these issues in my analysis with reference
to the notions of semiotic resources, and co-creation of meaning potentials within the nexus of
practices. In terms of design theory, these issues will be further scrutinized in relation to
affordances and constraints as channels of communication between designers and users.
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