Media Theories

What is Levi-Strauss structuralism theory?

•the idea that texts can be best understood through an examination of their underlying structure

•the meaning is dependent upon the pairs opposites

•the way in which these binary oppositions are resolved can have particular ideological significance

What is Stuart Halls representation theory?

•representation is the production of meaning through language

•the relationship between concepts and signs is governed by codes

•stereotyping reduces people to agree simple characteristics or traits

•stereotyping tends to occur where there are inequalities of power

What is David Gauntlett’s theory of identity?

•the idea that the media provide us with tools or resources that we use to construct our identities

•in the past the media tended to convey singular messages about ideal types of male and female identities

•today the media offer us a more diverse range of stars, icons and characters whom we many pick and mix different ideas

What is Van Zoonen’s feminist theory?

•gender is constructed through discourse and it’s meanings varies according to the cultural and historical context

•the display of women’s bodies as objects to be looked at is a core element of western patriarchal culture

•in mainstream culture, the visual and narrative codes are used to construct the male body as spectacle differ from those used to objectify the female body

What is George Gerber’s cultivation theory?

•explosive to repeated patterns of representation over long periods of time can shape and influence the way in which people perceive the world around them

•cultivation reinforces mainstream values

What is Stuart Hall’s reception theory?

•communication is a process involving encoding by producers and decoding by audiences

•there are three hypothetical positions from which messages and meanings may be decided:

•dominant-hegemonic position: the encoders intended meaning is fully understood and accepted

•negotiated position: the legitimacy of the encoders message is acknowledged in general terms, however the message is adapted to fit the individuals thoughts

•oppositional position: the encoders message is understood but the decider disagrees with it.

What is Roland Barthes semiotics theory?

•texts communicate their meanings through a process of signification

•signs can function at the level of denotation and the level of connotation

•constructed meanings can come to seem self-evident, achieving the status of myth through naturalization