The document discusses Stuart Hall's Encoding Decoding Model of communication. It states that producers encode meaning and ideology into media texts. Audiences then actively decode these texts and can accept, partially accept, or reject the producer's intended meanings through preferred, negotiated, and oppositional readings respectively. The model suggests audiences' interpretations depend on their social experiences and identities. Examples show how audiences can decode ads, TV shows, and music videos differently based on factors like age, gender, and culture.

1. Audience Reception
Encoding Decoding Model

2. What is audience reception?
• Audiences receive and respond to texts very
differently. The different effects generate varied
responses.
• It is a way to characterise and group together
different audience (consumer) interpretations.
• Audience reception = the way we react

3. Encoding Decoding Theory
• Stuart Hall, 1973
• Producers encode meaning/ideology into texts, which
audiences decode
• Audiences are active in their interpretations and can
accept/reject the producers message.
• ENCODE : meaning, ideology
• DECODE : ???

4. Encoding Decoding Model
Producers
‘ENCODE’
Put meaning
into a text
THE TEXT
(Music Videos,
Adverts, TV,
Film)
Audiences
‘DECODE’
Take meaning
out of the text

5. Encoding Decoding Theory
• Texts can be decoded by body language to understand
emotion/relationships.
• They have multiple meanings and can be decoded in various
ways. The messages can mean something different to different
people.

6. Encoding Decoding Theory
• Preferred Reading – audiences agree and accept what the
producers are encoding
• Negotiated Reading – audiences partially agree with the
encoded messages
• Oppositional Reading – audiences reject/disagree or decode
the text differently
Age, Gender, Cultural Experiences
David Morley

7. Audience Readings –
Macdonald’s Advert
• Preferred Reading
• Intended to encourage feelings of
hunger and desire. Audiences will
recall these feelings when passing by
the big chain and want to buy some
food
• Negotiated Reading
• Audiences will enjoy eating the
products, but those who are health-
conscious may respond with
annoyance, but understand eating
products once a month isn’t damaging.

8. Audience Readings – The
Teletubbies 1997
• Oppositional Reading
• “He is purple – the gay
pride colour; and his
antenna is shaped like a
triangle – the gay-pride
symbol.”
• “Tinky Winky also carries a
magic pink bag”
• “Modeling the gay lifestyle
is damaging to the moral
lives of children”

9. Audience Reading Activity
Think about how the mis-en-scene may have an impact…

10. Encoding Decoding Music
Videos
• Managers encode artists (i.e. The Spice Girls, The Pussycat
Dolls, JLS) with specific ideology.
This is ultimately to increase financial gain.
• The target audience will always have a preferred reading.
They accept all messages and decode the text in the way that
was intended.
• Usually the secondary audience will decode a negotiated
reading.
• Parents/audiences who hate the music genre will have an
oppositional reading.

11. Encoding Decoding Music
Videos
• Think about how the producers have encoded the music video
and how it may be decoded.
• What would be a preferred reading of the text? Why?
• What would be a negotiated reading of the text? Why?
• What would be a oppositional reading of the text? Why?
• What is your reading of the text? Why?

12. Blog Task
• What is audience theory?
• What is Hall’s Encoding Decoding Model? Provide
examples of how one may decode pictures
differently.
• Discuss Morley’s audience reception theory and
use the advert examples we discussed
• How is the Encoding Decoding Model relevant to
music videos? Discuss the three readings in
relation to two music videos.
Choose a genre/artist you like/a genre/artist you
don’t like.