Stuart Hall REPRESENTATION

• Representation is the product of meaning through language, and is governed by codes.
• Stereotyping reduces people to a few traits
• Stereotyping has the power to create the idea of subordinate groups, excluding certain cultures as 'different' 

Stuart Hall RECEPTION

• Messages are placed in the Media by the content creator ENCODING
• The audience DECODE the message in a variety of ways

To represent something is to describe or depict it, to call it up in the mind by description or portrayal or imagination; to place a likeness of it before us in our mind or in the senses; as, for example, in the sentence, 'This picture represents the struggle of slaves in America'. Image above

To represent also means to symbolize, stand for, to be a specimen of, or to substitute for; as in the sentence, 'In Christianity, the cross represents the suffering and crucifixion of Christ.' Image on the above 

ENCODING

The creator of a media text places meaning within it for example: a directors point of view; a particular social issue; and morality. This does not mean the audience is always aware of the message, as a message can be interpritated in many ways. 

DECODING

Decoding is a process by which the audience makes sense of the text, this can be catogories as follows:

• Preferred reading  
• Negotiated Reading  
• Oppositional Reading