Core Concept #3:
Different people experience
the same media message differently.
Audiences play a role in interpreting media texts because each audience member brings to the
media text a unique set of life experiences (age, gender, education, cultural upbringing, etc.)
which, when applied to the text -or combined with the text -create unique interpretations. A
World War II veteran, for example, brings a different set of experiences to a movie like Saving
Private Ryan than any other audience member- resulting in a different reaction to the film as
well as, perhaps, greater insight. Even parents and children watching TV together do not "see" the
same program.
This concept turns the tables on the idea of TV viewers as just passive "couch potatoes."We may
not be conscious of it but each of us, even toddlers, are constantly trying to "make sense" of what
we see, hear or read. The more questions we can ask about what we are experiencing around us,
the more alert we can be about accepting or rejecting messages. Research indicates that, over
time, children of all ages can learn age-appropriate skills that give them a new set of glasses with
which they can "read" and interpret their media culture.
Key Question #3:
How might different people understand
this message differently from me?
Guiding Questions:
- How well does this text fit with your experience of the world?
- What did you learn from the media text? What did you learn about
yourself from experiencing the media text?
- What did you learn from other people's response and experience?
- How many other interpretations could there be? How could we hear
about them?
- Are other viewpoints just as valid as mine?
- How can you explain the different responses?
Concept 4
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