For centuries the media has influenced the way society thinks and feels. However whether the media influences intentionally or not is another debate. Stuart Hall is a retired professor of sociology at the Open University. Hall is responsible for the communications theory of Cultural Studies. Although Hall believed that media does produce images that may at times influence society his theory states that the way a theory is interpreted is left up to the people. When I read the chapter I visualized Hall's theory similar to the human digestive system. The viewers eat the information that is being given to them and as they digest the body decides what to do with the "food." Is it believable and used to better the body or is it disagreeable and turned to waste? This is where the obstinate audience comes into play. Is the "food" operating inside the dominant code and accep
ted, applying a negotiable code, or will it be substituting an oppositional code?
ted, applying a negotiable code, or will it be substituting an oppositional code?It's not just the words we speak that can interrupted oppositely but it's also visual images or even people.
In the musical Wicked the Wizard sings a song to Elephaba about one person can be looked at completely oppositely by different people. Here is a video clip from the show and the lyrics so you can read at your own pace.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-WxYP3R1S8
I still have one last question. Who is the person who decided what was wrong and what was right? What is true and what is false? And why have we believed them all this time?
