stuart hall and his reception theory with applied analysis

1. Stuart Hall
Priyanka Chawla

2. The basics

Stuart Halls main idea was that media texts are
interpreted in various ways depending on the audience.

He split the consumers of media texts into three types:
 Dominant- accepts and shares codes
 Negotiated- accepts the text
 Oppositional- understands the text but doesn’t accept the
codes that are presented

He also believed that culture had an impact on how
one interpreted a certain media text

3. Uses and gratifications

This theory contradicts the hypodermic model, in the
sense that it believes that consumers are active.

We don’t just consume a piece of media we do
something with it- be it accept it, or produce an
opposing opinion regarding it… either way you have
automatically become an active consumer of that
specific media text. A relatable example of this is when
you choose the type of music you would like to listen
to. A consumer actively chooses it based on their mood
and their personal preference.

4. How these theories apply…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14ziT5i-g08

Interpretations based on culture:
The music artist Bob Marley- based a lot of his music on
black history, how the majority of the suffered and fought
for their survival. This media type can be consumed in
many different ways.
In terms of culture, a white person may not completely
understand the struggles bob Marley was talking about,
because they have no experience of this treatment.
Therefore most non black consumers would be negotiated

5. Age

The age has a huge impact in understanding. A
younger reader may not understand what the lyrics are
about, as they are unaware of the history on slavery…
therefore they most likely are passive audiences and
don’t really think about the codes and messages that
are being presented.

However someone who is of a slightly more mature
age will be a negotiated reader in the sense that they
understand what the message is and what codes are
being presented.

6. Age

The age has a huge impact in understanding. A
younger reader may not understand what the lyrics are
about, as they are unaware of the history on slavery…
therefore they most likely are passive audiences and
don’t really think about the codes and messages that
are being presented.

However someone who is of a slightly more mature
age will be a negotiated reader in the sense that they
understand what the message is and what codes are
being presented.