Hall argued that meaning is not fixed or automatically exchanged from the producer to the audience. Instead, the process involves two moments: encoding (producer) and decoding (receiver). This process is influenced by the social, cultural, and political contexts of both the sender and the receiver:
- Encoding: The media producers (encoders) build a message using a set of codes (language, images, conventions, technical devices) that are rooted in dominant cultural ideologies. They structure the message to prefer a certain meaning--in other words, the preferred meaning.
- Circulation: The message is distributed through various media channels.
- Decoding: The audience (decoders) interprets the message based on their own social position, cultural background, and prior knowledge. This is the stage where the preferred reading may be accepted, negotiated, or rejected.
Reflection
I can encode my 2-minute horror film opening using widely recognized genre signifiers--like a young woman alone at night or a flickering light--to encourage decoding fear and vulnerability. However, to cause a well broken-down reading, I could introduce a subtle, out-of-date prop (a vintage camera) that contradicts the setting, making the audience to actively question and find a deeper meaning that's not just a simple scare. This approach makes sure the opening offers the audience some form of engagement.
Sources
- emcworthy. (n.d.). The Communication Process. Kirkwood.pressbooks.pub. https://kirkwood.pressbooks.pub/emcworthy/chapter/the-communication-process/
- Media Studies. (2020, October 1). Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory | Encoding and Decoding Messages. Media Studies. https://media-studies.com/reception-theory/
- Reception theory | EBSCO. (2024). EBSCO Information Services, Inc. | Www.ebsco.com. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/reception-theory
- Teel, A. (2017, May 4). The Application of Stuart Hall’s Audience Reception Theory to Help Us Understand #WhichLivesMatter? Medium; Medium. https://medium.com/@ateel/the-application-of-stuart-halls-audience-reception-theory-to-help-us-understand-whichlivesmatter-3d4e9e10dae5
- Understanding the Process of Communication: From Encoding to Decoding» Gender Studies. (2024, February 2). Gender Studies. https://gender.study/english-communication-skills/communication-process-encoding-decoding/
No comments:
Post a Comment