As discussed in this week’s lecture, there are a number of different types of responses in regards to textual analysis. This is important to understand, of course, when looking at various advertisements and aiming to convey the right message to the audience. The meaning that each one of us takes from the media can differ tremendously from person to person, or group to group, etc. The media may have a planned meaning or message they want to express, through codes, but we all may end up taking the meaning into our own hands.
The audience may choose to adopt various social identities from mass media codes, but they are not obligated to accept them directly. Decoding will differ among people who do not occupy similar social positions or share the same codes. This will result in decoding that is inconsistent with the intended meaning of the encoder.
Dr. Strangelove discussed this topic in terms of Stuart Hall’s model of mass communication. His model signified the importance of “active interpretation within relevant codes.”
Stuart Hall stressed the role of social positioning in the interpretation of mass media texts by different social groups. –Daniel Chandler
Hall proposed that the audience/readers can stand in one of three different positions of interpretative codes and meanings:
The first type of decoding is known as the dominant-hegemonic reading. This is the main one, which represents the mass audience. The audience, in this case, would share the text codes and accept and reproduce the preferred meaning. This type of decoding also creates the brand personality. For example, many young women who follow different shows such as the Hills or Beverly Hills 90210, would fit into one type of group or style tribe. The picture below depicts the style of dressing, for instance, that this group would share.
Sometimes, however, the text’s codes are not fully shared and the readers take their own spin on the meaning. This would be referred to as the negotiated reading. The preferred reading would be broadly accepted in this position with their own modification and twist to it as a result of their varying social position or stance. This allows them to agree while disagree with some points. An example Dr. Strangelove mentioned in class on this type of decoding is how two opposing politicians, for example Republicans and Liberals, can watch the same political movie, both enjoy it, but each take their own view of its meanings.
The last type of reading is known as oppositional. This position states that the reader would hold an opposing view on the text’s codes and reject the dominant-hegemonic meaning. The preferred reading would not be accepted in this case. An example of this would be feminism because they will outright dismiss any idea that would suggest women as powerless, etc. A feminist looking at the following ad would most definitely have an oppositional position against the reading.
This decoding model developed by Stuart Hall can be very useful when the mass media is communicating a specific idea. Depending on their target audience, they may be able to anticipate where most of the readers will fall. As mentioned in class by Dr. Strangelove, the masses will stand between the first and second position.
It is interesting to think about the different positions you may take when watching an advertisement or even a TV show during different segments. The media is out there attempting to instill an idea or belief in us, but it is up to us to decide if we agree to support the idea, reject it, or even negotiate its acceptance.
Jamile Badran
Jordan Laurin
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