media theories

David Gauntlett - identity

• He thinks audiences get an idea of their own identity from the media products they consume

• In the past we got more simple representations. Now we get more diverse representations. More of a range and especially in gender. Men and women aren't just binary opposites anymore. 

bell hooks - feminism

• She believes feminism isn't a lifestyle choice but have to be politically active to be a feminist 

• Women are not all discriminated against in the same way or to the same extent Discrimination varies with ethnicity and class 

• Intersectionality - various aspects of our identity intersect to create either privilege or prejudice

Stuart Hall - representation

• Media often use stereotypes which reduce people down to oversimplified characteristics 

• Stereotypes are often negative 

• Stereotypes tend to come about when there are people in power who are in the dominant hegemonic groups of society (white, rich, men)

Stuart Hall - reception

• Media products are encoded with ideas by producers and hope the audience decode what is intended (Preferred reading) 

• Oppositional reading - do not take on message producers intend, may be offended, may disagree

• Negotiated reading - in the middle where an audience understands the encoded messages but rejects some aspects of the message. 

• Different readings because of different ages, genders, sexualities, how you were brought up etc.  

Barthes - semiotics

• Hermeneutic / Enigma codes

• Proairetic / action codes

• Symbolic codes

• Semantic  codes

• Cultural / referential codes
  

Hermeneutic / enigma codes

any mysterious part of a media text that will engage the audience and make them want to continue reading/watching

Proairetic / action codes

elements of media products that signify something is going to happen (gun coming out of pocket - he's gonna shoot someone) 

Symbolic codes

e.g a bat symbolizes a vampire, hoodies overtime now symbolize rebels and youth  

Semantic codes

parts of a media product that we understand have a hidden meaning (horror movie posters have lots of reds and blacks bc we understand it codes blood, danger) (lady hugging tide is a semantic code that she loves the product) 

Cultural codes

 parts of a media product which you will only understand if you're part of that culture, gender, age etc.