Applying multimodal discourse analysis to study image-enabled communication

A multimodal analytic framework is introduced to contribute to a discourse-oriented study of the creation of visual information. While much visually based research focuses on the image artifact, an ongoing study seeks to shed light on the phenomenon of image creation as a communication practice. This requires a content analytic methodology capable of addressing issues related to modalities of expression and their interaction, co-occurrence and co-deployment during exchange of meaning. Multimodal discourse analysis, an emerging area of discourse studies, is proposed as a valuable contribution to the current study and to the field of information science in general.