Audiences: Encoding/Decoding + Reception Analysis Model

Audiences: Encoding/Decoding + Reception Analysis Model

1. Encoding

   • Hall (1980) a neo-marxist suggests media texts are encoded with a particular meaning, which they expect media audiences to believe. Media is encoded by those who produce the media. This meaning or encoding is what Hall calls the dominant hegemonic viewpoint, which takes the dominant ideology for granted and accepts it as normal, natural and only sensible way of viewing social events
     • Owners embed the dominant ideology into media messages

2. Decoding

   • Hall then suggests most audiences will interpret or decode media texts exactly as they were intended because the views of the dominant class appear normal, natural and reasonable.
     • Audience decode the media messages in the way it is intended
     • However, this view recognises that some of the audience may decode or interpret the same texts differently, due to their social characteristics, for example their age, social class, gender or ethnicity
       • E.g. Media exaggerate story on young people being delinquent to get views. Do not highlight real issues of people in poverty, only benefit cheats
       • Sociologists who suscribe to this model are interested in analysing how different groups interpret media content. The reception analysis model, therefore suggests that media content is interpreted in a variety of ways

3. Reception Analysis- Morley (1980)

   • Applied Hall's theory and based study of audience interpretation on 70's news programme Nationwide, Morley found audiences were far from passive, they are much more active
   • Instead, audiences made up their own minds and there was significant opposition to the views contained in the news programme
   • When people did accept the ideological position of the programme it was because they had personal knowledge and experience of the issue
   • 1) Preferred reading
     • Audiences interpret or decode media texts in the same way they were encoded in the first place and in the way media producers would prefer. For example a preferred reading could be that most welfare benefit claimants are workshy 'scroungers'
   • 2) Negotiated reading
     • The media audience generally accept the preferred reading, but may amend it to some extent, to fit their own beliefs and experiences. For example, might accept that most benefit claimants are probably 'scroungers', but not all as they know of some deserving cases.
   • 3. Oppositional reading
     • A minority may reject the preferred reading altogether. For example, rejecting the view of 'scroungers' and seeing claimants as deserving as they face unemployment and inequality
   • AO3: Accepts not all readers are passive- there are different audiences that respond differently, not just active and passive
   • AO3: Doesn't say anything about new media- outdated.
     • Model suggests audience have control over media output but drip-drip effect has long-term ideological indoctrination. Not have ability to filter the media messages
   • Morley argues that the average person belongs to several subcultural groups and this may complicate a persons reading of media content
     • A young British Syrian may respond to the refugee crisis in a number of ways
       • 1) As a young educated person, they may feel that Syrian refugees have been persecuted by their own government
       • 2) As a British person, they may feel the war has very little impact on them as they do not live in Syria
       • 3) As a Syrian person they may feel a sense of identification and sympathy with the refugees.
       • 4) As a young person, they may feel that current affairs are fairly boring and consequently not show much interest.
   • The point of reception analysis theory is to suggest that audiences are not passive, impressionable and homogenous. The way audiences decode media will be dependent on their own knowledge and experiences, the social groups they belong to and their social characteristics. Media content is POLYSEMIC i.e. it attracts more than one type of reading or interpretation