Transcript Communication for Development Communication Theory presentation

Communication Theory and
Research Methodology
Presenter:
Twakulilwa Kayofa
201014815
Tuesday, 04 March 2015
Presentation Outline
• Introduction: Reception theory
• History and Orientation
• Exponents of the theory
• Core assumptions and Statements
• Conceptual model
• Application
• References
Introduction: Reception theory
• Started in literature, recognising audience to understand meaning
• Theory has developed in cultural studies of media
• Focusses on interpretation of messages
• Understand the attribution and construction of meaning (derived
from media) with the receiver.
• Media messages are always open and polysemic (having multiple
meanings) and are interpreted according the context and culture of
receivers.
History and Orientation
• Similar to the reader response and audience theory
• Most influential the in 1970s and 1980s in Germany
• Mass communication
• Meaning cannot be understood without considering readers
Exponents of the theory
• Hans-Robert Jauss in the late 1960s
From literature perspective
• Staurt Hall developed it further
From communication perspective
Core assumptions and Statements
• People are not passive
• Meaning can be distorted or interpreted differently
• Reader interprets messages based on individual cultural background
or life experience
Language/Messages
Encoding
Establish meaning
Meaning made by audience
Decoding
Continued…
• Stuart Hall's developed the "Encoding-Decoding" model of communication.
- meaning is encoded by the sender and decoded by the receiver.
- meanings may be decoded to mean something else.
- senders encode meaning in their messages according to their ideals
and views
- messages are decoded by the receivers according to their own
ideals and views,
- may lead to miscommunication or to the receiver understanding
something very different from what the sender intended. (Hall 1993,
91)
Conceptual model
Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--WCHnLqu3tY/UKLgs0EebbI/AAAAAAAAASw/HaQHBi9d7LA/s1600/RECEPTION+THEORY.png
Example
• The interpretation of the Swapo Secretary General calling people
“aafyona” (commoners) at a campaign star rally. The interpretation
was that:
1. Some said it is a tradition in his own setting
2. Some said it is an insult
3. And some said he aimed to tarnish the objective of the campaign
Application
• I can use this theory when analysing data for my research
• Acknowledge that messages are decoded according to the receivers
background
References
• Becker, Howard S. and Michal M. McCall. (1990) Symbolic Interaction
and Cultural Studies.
• http://www.zeepedia.com/read.php?reception_theory_theories_of_c
ommunication
• http://www.slideshare.net/dphillips4363/reception-theorypresentation