Information transmission is an interactive process of encoding and decoding. The sender and the receiver may have different understandings. The Stuart model proposed by Hall wants to emphasize that the impact and meaning of information are not fixed, but are jointly determined by the creator’s expression and transmission and the receiver’s interpretation. I gave the following examples.
- A flood broke out in one area, and the media reported that the government and other departments are doing their best to help.
Code: Media spread news events to TV, mobile phones, radio and other social media platforms, selectively showing the active rescue pictures of government workers, in order to show the government’s attitude of rapid response. This is the process of coding, with a very clear mainstream ideology.
Decoded: Dominant – The audience fully accepts the content released by the media, believing that the government has indeed responded quickly, taken a very active rescue attitude, defended the people, and felt reassured.
Negotiation: The audience recognized the government’s attitude and ability to rescue, but felt that the report should not fully show the real situation of the disaster area and the injured people, perhaps the reality is more serious, there are doubts.
Confrontation: The audience did not recognize the authenticity of the report, felt that the rescue was not very active and swift at all, and criticized the government.
- Skincare brands advertise products that moisturize and whiten skin quickly
Coding: Advertising uses celebrity endorsement, exquisite advertising and exaggerated advertising slogans (one second water, let the skin drink water directly) to show the advantages of the product.
Decoded: Leading – consumers fully believe and accept the advertising content, that the product displayed by the advertisement is the propaganda expressed, and are willing to buy.
Negotiation: Consumers believe that the product should be effective, but they do not agree with the content of the advertisement, and will think about or compare other products before purchasing.
Confrontation: Consumers believe that the advertising content is false and exaggerated, is a marketing means, and will not buy.
- Design encoding and decoding in media. Internet celebrities show off luxurious lives in short videos, promoting the idea that “success is wealth”.
Code: The creator will expensive bags, clothes, etc. as a symbol of luxury, through the way of short videos to convey to the public a successful life of wealth, so that the public envy and yearning.
Decoded: Leading – fans fully accept the values and video content of Internet celebrities, think that owning these luxuries is success, and will find ways to buy or pursue and imitate such a life because of these videos.
Negotiation – The audience maintains a neutral attitude towards the video content, may envy, but will not pursue, will think that there are many ways to show success, not necessarily just luxury and high-end places, may have a high level of thought.
Confrontation: Viewers think the video is not good, unrealistic and makes people compare and envy.
Encoding and decoding models are often used in our daily lives, from news advertisements to social media platforms. It helps us to understand the interactivity and diversity of information in the process of communication, but also reminds us that the interpretation of information is not a single result, but a diversified process influenced by personal ideas and culture, which can help us to look at information communication more clearly.
I really liked the various examples of encoding and decoding you used, from news reports to advertising and social media, and in the various forms of interpretation. It clearly gives a great illustration of what Stuart Hall was modelling. As you mention how interpreting information is not a single result, it would be interesting to further consider how a person’s context and culture might inform their decoding process. This makes me think back to John Berger’s ‘Ways of Seeing’ and makes me wonder how personal experiences, education, status, and location may shape opinion and personal analysis in the context of information on digital platforms. Overall, your analysis is very clear in how complex information transmission can be.
Hello! Your blog analyzes the process of interpretation in daily life through Hall’s “coding/decoding model”, and the content is clear and close to reality. The following is my expansion and reflection on your analysis from different angles, hoping to deepen the discussion.
When you analyze flood coverage, you point out that the media transmits mainstream ideology by selectively presenting images of active government rescue, which reminds me of a core proposition behind Hall’s model – power relations in the dissemination of information. In the coding process, the communicator is not only the creator of information, but also the shaper of meaning. The media may influence the audience’s attention and cognitive framework through implicit control when setting the agenda (McCombs & Shaw, 1972). In your flood case, is this “coding” likely to be used as a political tool to divert public attention from poor disaster management? How likely do you think audiences are to challenge this “power coding” through a consultative or adversarial interpretation process in this media-dominated coding situation?
In addition, your analysis of skincare advertising shows the multiple interpretative attitudes consumers may adopt when accepting advertising content. I would like to further explore the role of cultural and psychological factors in this interpretation process. For example, in some cultures with fair skin as the aesthetic mainstream, the idea of “whitening = beauty” conveyed by advertising may be more acceptable to preferential interpretations. However, in a Western context that places more emphasis on pluralistic beauty, such advertising content may be more often interpreted in opposition, or even criticized as strengthening a single aesthetic standard. What do you think of the complex impact of cross-cultural nuance on the coding and decoding of advertising in the context of global communication?
Finally, you mentioned that Internet celebrity short videos convey the value of “success equals wealth” by showing off luxury goods and wealth, which well reveals the role of consumerist culture in modern communication. I would like to add that these short videos not only influence audiences through content, but also further reinforce this value through platform algorithms. Algorithms prioritize videos with high engagement rates and more commercial returns, making it easier for conspicuous consumer content to enter the public eye. Does this algorithm-driven communication mechanism have a subtle impact on the audience’s values? Is it also shaping a broader “mainstream reading” that makes it more difficult for audiences to adopt a consultative or adversarial attitude?
Reference：McCombs, M. E., & Shaw, D. L. (1972). The agenda-setting function of mass media. Public opinion quarterly, 36(2), 176-187.