Moniulotteinen hiljaisuus: Semioottinen tutkimus Visit Finland -maaportaalista
Keywords:
tourism, silence, semiotics, virtualityAbstract
Multidimensional silence: A semiotic study of the Visit Finland travel websiteSilence can be heard but it can also be seen and experienced by all senses. The article at hand examines the multidimensionality of silence by means of a semiotic analysis of its visual and textual presentations on the Visit Finland travel website in January 2011. The acoustic, physical, temporal and social dimensions as well as the dimension of place function in the data as semiotic signs of silence. The emphasis on nature was the most important aspect of silence in all explored dimensions. Even the cities of Finland are marked by natural environment on the website rather than by elements of noise or restlessness. In the data, silence is sometimes presented as something which is common and shared with other people but most often it is described as an individual experience. The results of the study suggest that even if silence is traditionally connected with ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’, it can also be achieved by immersing oneself in pleasant and relaxing activities. The interplay of different dimensions of silence, on the one hand, and the interaction between environment and the individual agent, on the other, are key elements in constructing visual and textual representations of silence in tourism marketing.
