TELE 3010 1nd Edition Lecture 20Outline of Last LectureI. Criticisms of TV & PoliticsII. Social MovementsIII. Types of MediaOutline of Current LectureI. Active AudiencesCurrent LectureActive Audiences - Chapter 8 Audiences1. Are audiences active or passive (passive being they believe a lot of whatthey’re told) receptors of media?2. Audience passivity as a 20th century construction (role of film and television). 3. Polysemy: many meanings. A given text can have many meanings depending on how the audiences interpret them. 4. Interpretation: Audiences making their meanings.5. Is any meaning possible? Are there limitless meanings? 6. There is a social engagement with media - our friends will tell us “Oh I really like this movie” and etc. 7. Meaning is constructed by socially located audiences under specific historical circumstances.The Encoding & Decoding Models of Media MessagesEncoding- messages are constructed according to certain codes — Ex, horror films have a certain code. The assumption is that the movie is constructed based on these codes for interpretation.- Assumptions are taken for granted. - All texts have these. The popular family sitcoms have these codes wherewe know what to predict.Decoding- Audiences use their knowledge of both medium-specific and cultural codes to interpret the meaning of a text. These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.Encoding-Decoding Model- Dominant or preferred meaning/reading.- Negotiated reading — the idea of maybe the intent was different that how it was perceived. It’s an active negotiating. This occurs in news as well. Active Audiences-Media consumers are competent.-An active audience can use media texts as material to fashion their own narratives.-An active audience can become a creator. Fan culture has always done this.-The line between producer and consumer is blurred.-Prosumers: producing and consuming at the same time.In what way are audiences active?- Interpretation: audiences may not constraint the meaning intended by the producer.- Social context of interpretation: media use is not just individual but also social.- Collective action- Audiences can make formal demands on media producers, like demanding to bring back a show.- Audiences can engage in protests and in boycotts, campaigns, and lobbying. - Audience as media producers — blogs and webpages dedicated to fandom are an example. Create their own media outlets and products. Meanings: Agency & Structure- Audiences, are not necessarily interpretive “free agents”. Star Trek is an example of interpretive community - there are websites and forums that we can consume and discuss the interpretations. - Structure and Interpretive ConstraintsStructuring Audiences- Social Class and Nationwide. There are differences in interpretation between:- Bank managers (truth)- management trainees (favored unions)- labor unionists (favored management)- middle class students (trivial; no information)- black working-classWhy different interpretations?- Discursive community: they are shaped by how we talk about something. the language, concepts, and assumptions associated with aparticular subculture or political perspective. - Decoding can be based on these different community resources.- The social position provides the frame through which we interpret the
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