Abstrakt
The concept of trace is useful for a semiotic reflection upon what is left behind. Similar to the concepts of index and footprint, traces are traditionally described as already signs, or more precisely as something recognized as a sign (Violi 2016; Mazzucchelli 2015).
This act of recognition is fundamentally dependent on a community's work of interpretation, in order to actualize a potential narration lying in the trace; but what if the promised sense is not grasped? Adopting the notion of intentionality (Greimas and Courtés 1979) to include partially unconscious traces within the sphere of semiotic investigation, the article considers the possibility to conceive traces as paradoxical signs standing for nothing, i.e., signs of insignificance (Leone 2020). Through the analysis of digital traces and trolling, (in)significance is disputed on the basis of a proposed paradigm, within which even such seemingly accidental traces may possess profound significance within a digital network constructed of distributed subjectivity.
One conclusion drawn from the example is that strong normative claims about what may qualify as significant, often conceal an ideologically charged agenda. For this reason in particular, a detailed account of digital traces should be the highest priority of semiotics today.