Today, meaning is increasingly conveyed through complex symbols and visual stimuli, and the multimodal text—a work that combine images and words—is now dominant. Instead of traditional literacy, Gee proposes semiotic domains, which comprise “any set of practices that recruits one or more modalities… to communicate distinctive types of meanings” (18).
Practically everything, from French poetry to first-person shooters, falls into a semiotic domain. Furthermore, each has defining features:
- Design grammar: The core principles and patterns within the domain
- Appreciative systems: The ability to recognize and contribute content to the domain
- Affinity groups: Specialists who shape the domain through analysis and discourse
- Fluidity: The ability to transfer and apply knowledge to related domains
