Reception Theory

Another audience theory we covered is the Reception Theory. So given that the Effects model and the Uses and Gratifications model have their own problems and limitations a different approach to audience was developed by the academic Stuart Hall at Birmingham University in the 1970's. This considered how texts were encoded with meaning by producers and them decoded (understood) by audience

The theory suggests that:-

When a producer constructs a text it is encoled with a meaning or message that the producer wishes to convey to the audience
in some instances audiences will correctly decode the message or meaning and understand what the producer was tryingm to say
in some instances the audience will either reject or fail to correctly understand the message

Stuart Hall identified three types of audience readings (or decoding) of the texts

1). Dominant:- where the audience decodes the messageas the producer wants them to do and broadly agrees with it
-e.g watchinga policital speech and agreeing with it

2). Negotiated:- where the audience accepts, rejects or refines elements fo the text in light of previously held views
-e.g neither agreeing or disagreeing with the polictical speech or being disinterested

3). Oppositional:- where the dominant meaning is recognised but rejected for cultural, political or ideological reasons
-e.g total rejection of the political speech and active opposition