ABSTRACT
This chapter switches the focus from individual names to the way in which different sets of names in combination with other semiotic resources may be used for presenting a wider subject matter in a particular light, i.e. to what is referred to as naming & framing at Level 4 in this book. That perspective has for some decades been a major focus across several branches of the social sciences and humanities (under a variety of headings, such as agenda setting, persuasion, and spin), yet often with little explicit attention to the links between these processes and those discussed under Levels 1–3. Expanding on earlier theorizing, the chapter proposes to see Levels 1–4 as a coherent ecosystem of naming & framing operations mutually presupposing each other while also being in a state of permanent evolution. Furthermore, the chapter addresses certain general psychological mechanisms that help interest-driven naming & framing along (stereotype thinking, mental shortcuts, presumption of situational relevance), illustrates possible pitfalls for ordinary language users in that regard by empirical evidence on the (mis)decoding of multimodal commercial messages, and discusses possible implication for communicative ethics and fairness, including the shortcomings of present-day legal regulation and communicators’ professional self-regulation.
