A sociosemiotic interpretation of cybersecurity in U.S. legislative discourse

ABSTRACT

Based on one specially created corpus of U.S. cybersecurity-related laws, this study employs the corpus approach to examine the referent objects and securitizing actors in U.S. cybersecurity legislative discourse, which are two critical issues in constructing security, including cybersecurity. Through corpus data analysis, it is found that unlike traditional security, cybersecurity has become more people-oriented in terms of referent objects with critical infrastructure as a key referent object. Additionally, the role of private sectors and cooperative security are highlighted in U.S. cybersecurity legislative discourse. From a sociosemiotic perspective, it is noted that the meaning-making process of U.S. cybersecurity not only is conveyed by the texts but also interacts with other sign systems, such as historical background, cyberspace as a virtual realm and social contexts, which suggests that the specific meanings of signs constructing cybersecurity and cybersecurity itself should be interpreted in specific temporal or spatial contexts. Furthermore, a sociosemiotic approach to U.S. cybersecurity legislative discourse also offers valuable insights to how signs and concepts in cybersecurity contribute to sketching a holistic landscape of cybersecurity and further security on a large scale.     

中国网络治理的社会符号学阐释

网络治理是一项复杂系统的社会工程,符号学因其系统性可为网络治理构建和完善提供学理支撑。网络治理和网络空间作为社会符号具有时空性和社会性,其意义会随着历史的变迁和解释主体的不同而变化,主要受历史条件、网络治理实践和国家利益等语境因素的制约。网络空间命运共同体和网络主权是中国网络治理符号系统的重要组成部分,要不断推动其从价值独特性符号向价值共识性符号的转变,即既保持中国特色,又获得国际社会的普遍共识。此外,结合马克思主义哲学理论,中国网络治理具有时代性、人民性、科学性、实践性和全球性,是马克思主义在网络空间治理领域的中国实践,是历史符号在新时代的全新阐释。