Every day, we are exposed to a lot of information: news, advertising, movies and TV dramas, and even short video on social media. How are these content designed? How do the audience understand them? Stuart hall’s “coding/decoding” theory gives an interesting and profound explanation, which gives us a good view of the interaction between the media and the audience.
Code: “packaging” of information
In the process of information dissemination, media is the “coder” of information. They incorporate some meaning or position into symbols such as words, images, sounds and so on, and then pass them to the audience through news, advertising or film and television works. For example:
A news will highlight some points of view through screen selection and language description, making the audience feel positive or negative about an event.
An AD may suggest that the product will make you more attractive through cool images and fascinating music.
When the media “package” information, it is not completely objective, but with its own intention and tendency.
Decoding: how does the audience understand the information
The process of information transmission is not one-way. When receiving information, the audience will understand the content according to their own background, experience and values, which is the process of “decoding”. Hall suggested that the audience usually decode the information in three ways
1. lead interpretation: “preset meaning” to fully accept information.
Example: after seeing an advertisement, you completely believe that the product will make life better, so you decide to buy it.
2. negotiation interpretation: partial acceptance of information, but also have their own questions or reservations. Example: the AD looks good, but you think it’s an exaggeration, and the product may not work that well.
3. opposition interpretation: completely oppose or question the intention behind the information.
Example: you think advertising is misleading consumers and even thinks it conveys unreasonable values.
Why is this theory important?
This theory breaks the traditional concept of “passive audience acceptance of information”. It tells us:
The media can convey information, but they cannot fully control the audience’s interpretation.
The audience is active, they will combine their cultural background, social experience to analyze information, or even fight the implied position in the information.
For example, in the same news about environmental protection, different people may have completely different interpretations:
Some people think that news is sending facts and fully supports the content of the report.
Some people may think that while environmental protection is important, the news is too idealistic to consider practical problems.
Others argue that the news is biased and ignores the voices of other interest groups.
Application in today’s society
Today, media information is everywhere, especially the rise of social media makes it possible for everyone to be the communicator of information. In this environment, the theory of coding and decoding is more important.
Content creators: creators need to realize that the audience will not fully interpret the information according to their own intentions. They may be misunderstood or even completely opposed.
For ordinary audiences: audiences should learn to think independently, not blindly believe in information, but ask more “why”.
Conclusion
The theory of “coding/decoding” reminds us that media information is not simply “say” and “listen”, but an interactive process. As viewers, we have the right to choose how to understand information and the responsibility to keep thinking independently. In the face of massive information, the ability to think is more important than the speed of receiving. How do you interpret the information you see today?
