Why is mode, affordances and the two logics so important?

As i was reading the article, i was trying to find out the importance behind these different factors; of course apart from the fact that they contribute to meaning forming and making.
What is with the emphasis on different modes and its affordances?
The move from the use of writing to images and from books to screen in conveying meaning is changing the uses and effects of literacy which ultimately affects how we choose to represent and communicate meaning. Based on the wide variety of modes available today, it is pertinent that we know the affordances or possibilities of a particular mode to consider its effectiveness in conveying the right meaning. The logic of time and space forms part of the factors that we will be considering when choosing the mode that is to be used in representing our meaning - whether it is best represented in a quasi-temporal (time) or quasi-spatial manner (space).

I have chosen to explain the importance of acknowledging affordances through two similar advertisements on water conservation, one uses the logic of space and the other uses both the logic of space and time (video in the previous post - save walter).



In this particular advertisement poster, images were used and as mentioned by Kress, "Whatever relations are to be represented about the world have inevitably to be represented as spatial relations between the depicted elements of an image." Hence, the placement of the fish bowl, level of the water , tap, dripping water and background itself all contributes to the of kind meaning conveyed by the poster, which is inevitable. The elements in the image can be interpreted simultaneously, without having to follow a particular order. A person can choose to focus on the tagline or the fish bowl first, depending on the individual.

The video posted in the previous entry on the other hand, follows a particular sequence of time; the logic of time. The years appear in order, from 1980 to 2006, and it is this sequence that allows us to understand part of the meaning behind the poster - that as the years pass by, the amount of water is fast depleting. However, the logic of space adds on to the meaning, based on the position of the fish bowl and the words that appear in a particular space and size. Without either of the logics, the meaning conveyed would most likely not be the same as when both of them exist. The affordances of the mode used also contributes to the meaning - because a video allows for moving visuals which can represent the logic of time using images apart from the written mode itself.

The two examples shown above demonstrates how the use of the different modes and its affordances has an effect on meaning making, which explains why it is important for us to know such a concept, especially when we want to convey meanings to our pupils - to know which mode or rather combination of modes works best in conveying a particular meaning.