Diana Bang's ETEC 531 e-portfolio

Guattari (1995) suggests that there are two different types of sign systems that are the foundation in which our communities have been formed (as cited in Murphie & Potts, 2003). According to Guattari (1995), signs that only operate are those that help us “plug into it” (i.e. traffic lights, ATM, etc), but differ from signs that are meaningful which signify communities.

I think that meanings from signs can be interpretive, subjective and differ from person to person. For example, signs in the form of gestures, symbols and even sign language hold a vast amount of meanings as that may be (for some) the main form of communication. Thus, signs are only meaningful when it is interpreted as such. In contrast, signs can also be operational and hold a functional quality to provide a designation, direction, or command as evident in storefront signage, street signs, and exit signs.