The model of encoding and decoding is a theoretical structure in the field of media studies. This model was introduced by Stuart Hall, who was a sociologist and a well-known theorist in the media sector. The concept of Encoding and Decoding was brought in by him. The theory or the model of decoding and encoding talks about communication that involves a process of encoding and decoding ideas and messages. Hall released an essay which was published in 1973 named “Encoding and Decoding in the television discourse”.
Encoding is the creation of the message by the one the message is being sent ‘the sender’. While this process takes place, the meaning is built with the help of symbols, signs, and codes. But, in some cases, the receiver might not understand the message in the same way as it was supposed to be delivered by the sender, they might have a different understanding and perspective about that certain topic. Some examples of encoding can be social media influencers and people who generate content.
Talking about decoding, focuses on the progression by which the viewers interpret and try to connect with the message which is trying to be conveyed. There are several ways through which the message can be conveyed like audio, visual images, written texts, adverts, and more but it is the viewers, audiences, and listener’s job to decode it and understand it. It is very natural for audiences to decode and unwrap the information they receive from the sender. There are a few key aspects that the audiences might keep in mind while analyzing or decoding the information, firstly what they interpret, secondly the cultural and social prospects, and more.
This theory mainly focuses on the fashion of ‘sender’, ‘message’, and ‘receiver’. Hall in this theory puts a close emphasis on communication and mass communications and in this, he intended to keep communication very straight forward and simple. There was a concern that did arise which was whether the receiver is receiving the right information or not. I would like to share an example from my childhood, I remember when we used to play the telephone game, and many times the last person in the queue known as the receiver so many times did not receive the correct information.
To conclude I would like to state that, Hall has quoted encoding as the production of the message and decoding as the moment of its reception. This happens when communication has no choice but to take place within sign techniques.
The use of the telephone game was a great example to help understand the concept of encoding and decoding! What are other ways for encoding and decoding to be applied in our day-to-day lives?