Indicator "is a basic symbol type proposed by Pierce in his semiotic triad, which has a direct relationship with objects and can truly reflect them. Therefore, it has the function of referring to reality and the potential to explore truth. Under the profound changes in reality brought about by digital transformation, the existence foundation and referential ability of indicators have been impacted, triggering a rethinking of the relationship between symbols and reality. Pierce's semiotics contrasts sharply with Saussure's structuralist semiotics, with Pierce's tripartite approach emphasizing the triadic relationship between symbols, objects, and explanatory terms, while Saussure's binary construction focuses on the relationships within the symbol system. Pierce's symbol trisomy is based on the foundation of phenomenology, dividing phenomena into "first nature", "second nature", and "third nature", and based on this, shaping the process of meaning into a ternary relationship, containing "representational body", "object", and "explanatory term". On this basis, Pierce further divided the representation, object, and interpretation into different types, among which the indicator symbol is highly regarded due to its real relationship with the object.

conclusion

The indicator incorporates the real world into the process of meaning through the influence of the referent, reflecting Pierce's efforts to establish a connection between symbols and reality, filling the gap in structuralism and post structuralism in semiotics. Pierce's semiotics focuses on inferring universal laws in the dynamic relationship between symbols and reality, breaking through the static research mode of structuralism and balancing the excessive meaning game of post structuralism. Semiotics has become an interdisciplinary knowledge, and Pierce's manuscript focuses on the construction of semiotic disciplines, with its ideas being applied to other disciplines. The postmodern world is complex and unpredictable, and simulated landscapes obscure real changes. The relationship between symbols and reality becomes a relationship between symbols and simulacra, which may lead to a loss of reference. Although Pierce's semiotics is not a panacea, its profound insight into the essence of symbols and pursuit of the meaning of truth provide a path and possibility.