Stuart Hall: Encoding/Decoding and Reception Theory Antonio Gramsci: Cultural Hegemony Magic Bullet/Hypodermic Syringe Model Active Audience: Uses and Gratification

1. Stuart Hall: Encoding/Decoding and
Reception Theory
• The theory is about the relationship between the text and the audience – the
text is encoded by the producer, and decoded by the reader, and there
may be major differences between two different readings of the same code.
• However, by using recognising and conventions, and by drawing upon
audience expectations and cultural conventions, the producers can position
the audience and thus create a certain amount of agreement on what the
code means. This is known as preferred reading and dominant ideology.

2. Stuart Hall: Encoding/Decoding and
Reception Theory (Cont.)
• Dominant reading: The meaning that most people glean from the
text (e.g. Four Lions is a good comedy film that is perhaps a little
risqué in its choice of content.)
• Oppositional reading: Where the understand the total opposite of
what was intended or encoded (e.g. Four Lions is an irresponsible
and offensive film that fails to consider the feeling of people whose
lives have been affected by terrorism.)
• Negotiated reading: Where you can see both sides of the storyline.

3. Reception Theory
• Extending the concept of an active audience still further, in the 1980s and
1990 a lot of work was done on the way individuals received and
interpreted a text, and how their individual circumstances (gender, class,
age, ethnicity) affected their reading.
• Hall’s approach to textual analysis focuses on the scope for “negotiations”
and “opposition” on that part of the audience. This means that a “text”
(book, movie, etc.) is not simply passively accepted by the audience, but
that the reader/viewer interprets the meanings of the text based on their
individual cultural background and life experiences, in essence, the
meaning of a text is not inherent within the text itself, but is created within
the relationship between the text and the reader.

4. Antonio Gramsci: Cultural Hegemony
• Gramsci proposes that culturally diverse societies can be dominated
by one social class, whose dominance is achieved by subtle
manipulating the societal culture (beliefs, explanations, perceptions,
values) so that the ruling class’s worldview Is accepted as the
societal norm. the societal norms or the “status quo” are believed to
be beneficial to all of society, whilst benefitting only the ruling class.

5. Magic Bullet / Hypodermic Syringe
Model
• This theory states that the media shoots or injects messages into the
consumers that effect the way they thought or behaved. This is now
a very old fashioned theory that was seen to be a panic reaction to
the new media such as television and computer games, which were
violent, leading people to believe that these violent video games
were turning children violent.

6. Active Audience: Uses and
Gratifications
• Blumler and Katz proposed that audiences were more active and discerning when
choosing the media they consume. They argues that the media served different
needs and desires (uses and gratification) of the audience.
• Diversion/escapism: escape the routine and problems; an emotional release.
• Personal relationships/social interaction: Social utility of information in
conversation; substitution of media for companionship.
• Personal identity or individual psychology: Value reinforcement or
reassurance; send understanding, reality exploration.
• Surveillance, information, education: Information about factors which might
affect one or will help one do or accomplish something.