audience theories

Stuart Hall's reception theory

• This theory suggests that media texts contain a variety of messages that are encoded by producers and then decoded by the audience

Dominant/ preferred meanings

This is when the producer wants the audience to read the media text how it actually is

Negotiated meaning

A compromise between dominant and oppositional meanings where the audience accepts parts of the producers' views but has their own views as well

Oppositional meaning

When the audience rejects the preferred reading and creates their own meaning for the text

George Gerbner

• The idea that exposure to repeated patterns of representation over a period of time can shape and influence the way in which people perceive the world around them

• The basic idea is that your behaviour and how you conduct yourself reflects the media you consume

• For example, people who frequently view violent crime documentaries are much more likely to be afraid of walking home at night

Bandura's social learning theory

• According to this theory, we observe, assimilate, and imitate others' behaviours when witnessing positive or rewarding experiences