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Jordanians’ Perceptions and Attitudes Toward the Amended Cyber Crime Law in Jordan: A Visual and Multimodal Analysis

This study examines the visual [monomodal] and multimodal metaphorical representations of Jordanians’ perceptions and attitudes toward the amended Cyber Crime Law in Jordan as depicted by Jordanian activists and image creators online. It adopts Forceville’s theory of Multimodal Metaphor [12] as its theoretical framework. Twenty visual and multimodal depictions were collected from online platforms and were analysed to identify metaphorical representations. The results reveal a higher frequency of use of multimodal metaphors over monomodal ones, which can potentially be attributed to the former employing both visual and verbal cues; thus, improving message clarity and comprehensibility. The analysis depicts a predominantly negative image of Jordanian perceptions and attitudes, portraying the law as a silencer, barbed wires, and handcuffs which demonstrates its perceived restriction of Jordanians’ freedom of speech in digital space and their online activities. Jordanians were also visually depicted as potential criminals, suggesting that ordinary citizens are potentially viewed as suspects or criminals under the new Cyber Crime Law. The study highlights the influential role of visual representations in shaping public opinions and perceptions of laws.​