Reception theory

 Reception theory

Part 1) Applying Reception theory to adverts

1) What are the preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings for the RBK 50 Cent advert?

Preferred reading:

The preferred reading for the RBK 50 Cent advert is that the brand Reebok is promoting to be a better person and that your past doesn't define you. The slogan conveys the message that you should have self acceptance and become a better person, and this gives aspiration to the audience. The audience that know what happened to 50 cent, they could take a positive message away from the slogan that everyone can develop into a better person, even if they come from a gangster or criminal background.

Negotiated reading:

The negotiated reading for the RBK 50 Cent advert is that the audience would think Reebok is a sporting brand, and would be unsure what message the advert is trying to convey to everyone. 

Oppositional reading:

The oppositional reading for the RBK 50 Cent advert is that all the 'o' letters in the anchorage text that have been filled with white represent the gunshots that injured 50 cent, however some audience could possibly think that this advert is promoting usage of guns and violence. This could create fear to the audience that if you wear Reebok, you may be seen as threatening and dangerous/ or in danger. In addition, the audience may link that others wearing Reebok could potentially mean that they are a criminal or in some sort of gang, due to this advert showing fingerprints on a document, associating with crime.

2) What are the preferred, negotiated and oppositional readings for the advert of your own choice that you analysed for last week's work?

Preferred reading:

The preferred reading of this poster is that you should not keep your feelings all to yourself as it could have a negative effect on your mental health. The anchorage text 'Don't wear it' also gives a message to the audience that they shouldn't harm their bodies. There is a website given at the bottom, so it gives the audience a safe place to seek help.

Negotiated reading:

The negotiated reading of this poster is that some audience would misunderstand and think that if they keep their feelings bottled up that it would be obvious and would show on their face, like the image. Some aspects of that is true as someone that struggles with mental health would have difficulties socialising and we can maybe tell through their facial expressions, however that is not the case for everyone. 

Oppositional reading:

The oppositional reading of this poster is that it portrays an image of a woman. This could make the male audience feel like they can't speak about their feelings and mental health.

Part 2) Reception theory factsheet #218

1) Complete Activity 1 on page 2 of the factsheet. Choose a media text you have enjoyed and apply the sender-message-channel-receiver model to the text. There is an example of how to do this in the factsheet (the freediving YouTube video).

• The SENDER is the YouTube maker, Nicole Laeno.

• The MESSAGE is her vlogging her lifestyle. 

• The CHANNEL is both YouTube as a content-sharing service.

• The RECEIVER is the person who watches her YouTube channel.

2) What are the definitions of 'encoding' and 'decoding'?

Encoding  means constructing a message using a shared code and language.

Decoding means someone that will share the cultural understanding.

3) Why did Stuart Hall criticise the sender-message-channel-receiver model?

He didn’t believe that the ‘message’ had a fixed meaning, encoded by the sender to be passively accepted by the receiver, although he was certain that the senders of the message probably hoped it did. He also felt that meaning was actually being produced in the spaces between this relationship, in a dynamic way that varied depending on who received the message. He thought there was more nuance to their relationship with the text as a cultural product and its producers.

4) What was Hall's circuit of communication model?

Hall proposed instead a model which was non-linear – in other words, the different ‘moments’ in the process (Hall’s term for each aspect of the model, which he called a circuit of communication) could feed back into each other. They could work independently of one another in the construction of meaning and the uses audiences make of what they consume would therefore vary.

5) What does the factsheet say about Hall's Reception theory?

The factsheet says that Hall's Reception Theory is polysemic, meaning they have multiple meanings depending on the background and experiences of the person consuming the text. He also describes a person’s individual interpretation of a media text as being influenced by their conceptual map, their ‘world view’. His Reception Theory tells us that there are hegemonic readings, negotiated readings, and an oppositional readings for each media product.

6) Look at the final page. How does it suggest Reception theory could be criticised?

Some people have pointed out that Hall’s model assumes that everyone is able to recognise the dominant or hegemonic reading, and we don’t know for certain whether this is always the case.