Reception Theory

Given that the effects model and the U&G Model and the Effects Model have thier 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 then decoded (understood) by audiences

The theory suggests that:

• When a producer constructs a text it is encoded 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 trying to say
• In other instances the audience will either reject or fail to correctly understand the message

Stuart Hall identified 3 types of audience readings (or decoding) of the text:

1. Dominant- Where the audiece decodes the message as the producers want them to do and broadly agrees with it. E.g. watching a political speech and agreeing with it
2. Negotiated- where the audience accepts, rejects or refines elements of the text in light of previously held views. E.g. Neither agreeing or disagreeing with the political 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.