Decoding Media And Social Position Analysis

In the chapter “Decoding Media and Social Position”, David Croteau and William Hoynes discuss the interpretation of mass media. They also try to explain the correlation that mass media has to social positions that individuals are given. According to them, it is no longer plausible to decode media based on the message given in its content. In modern society, it is now required for researchers to look at the multiple interpretations that are given with a certain example of mass media. The writers look to sociologist David Morley for answers as to where these multiple interpretations originate from. Morley used the television program “Nationwide” for his study on the decoding model of communication. By interviewing people of various backgrounds, he was able to deduce that meaning-making and social statuses were connected. However, he concluded that using social status alone is not able to decide how people interpret messages in mass media.
Still, Morley’s study was used as a stepping stone to more studies concerning the interpretations of mass media. One of these studies was Women Watching Television by Andrea Press. In this study, Press interviewed working-class women and middle-class women, and she asked them questions that would give …show more content…
Rosenzweig starts off by admitting that while the content on television is accurate on society as a whole, individuals that are not familiar with the morals and actions that are needed modern society are subject to being influenced by the wrong things. Children, teenagers, and young adults are especially susceptible to this. Rosenzweig knows that the reader is familiar with the negative attributes of television’s influence. So, she turns around and asks if the influence that television has can be used to forward good things on individuals that are influenced by