SIGN NATURE OF DIGITAL METAPHORS IN PUBLIC SERVICE ADVERTISEMENTS

Abstract

The article deals with the iconic nature of digital metaphors in the context of anglophone public service advertisements (PSAs) and aims at the analysis of their impact on the effectiveness of social communication. It is claimed that digital reality is changing the way we perceive and interact with the world. The topicality of the article is determined by the interest of researchers in: a) the issues of digital media and its influence on communication processes, and b) the role of digital metaphors in the context of digital reality. The novelty of research is provided by special attention to the functioning of digital metaphors in anglophone PSAs. The paper discusses the nature of digital metaphors and substantiates their importance for increasing the effectiveness of advertising. A semiotic approach to studying the digital metaphor is proposed, and a semiotic definition of digital metaphor from the point of view of its iconic nature and based on the semiotic doctrine of Charles Peirce is suggested. The statement that the use of metaphor provides an interpretation of the new through the known due to similarity is also true for digital metaphor, which involves the use of means of representing objects of digital reality to describe objects of physical reality in order to provide an effective interpretation of the latter based on the similarity of these objects. Particular attention is paid to the genre of PSA. The latter is considered to be a multimodal text and a complex symbol in the cultural space. It is claimed that the selection and combination of various types of signs in public service advertising is purposeful and aims to provide certain intentions. The example of public service advertising aimed at preserving wildlife is analyzed in the article. It is pointed to the combination and complementarity of various signs belonging to different sign systems, illustrating the importance of careful planning and balanced use of verbal and non-verbal elements in PSAs to achieve maximum impact on the recipients. It is claimed that digital metaphors use the unique functionality of digital technologies to convey various aspects of reality and increase the informativeness of public service advertising and its influence on the target audience.