The multimodal turn in framing paradigm: a systematic review of visual framing publications during 1979–2023

Abstract Visual framing has gained increasing popularity in communication research. In the past decade, multimodal framing has emerged as a nascent trend, suggesting an integrated approach to examine various modes and their interplays in multimodal media environments. This systematic review provides an overview of prevalent topics, theoretical and methodological approaches, and gaps in peer-reviewed journal articles (N = 553) that examined visual framing between 1979 and 2023. The results reveal that most studies focus on visual depictions and styles, with less emphasis on the connotative and ideological levels of visual framing. More studies lean towards using quantitative methods, analyzing textual–visual units, and taking social media as their source. This article further proposes four theoretical considerations for multimodal framing research. The results also show that most studies have considered framing beyond texts, with less attention to mode-specific roles and rare focus on inter-mode relationships and contexts shaping meaning. The findings discuss theoretical and operational implications for multimodal framing. The disproportionate geographical distribution of visual framing literature suggests future research from African, Asian, and Latin-American perspectives.