Reception Theory :)

 Reception Theory

Preferred/Hegemonic Reading

For this advert, I believe that one of the hegemonic readings would be presenting this advert as a showcase for 50 Cent's success despite his past. Despite the fact that his past suggested that living wasn't guaranteed and promised, he still managed to make it and be one of the most successful artists in the music industry. Through the lessons he has learned, in this advert, 50 Cent is trying to encourage people to live life to the fullest because life is not always promised and 50 Cent is likely to be a role model for many so by spreading this message, this advert was probably influential for a lot of his fans.

Negotiated Reading

I believe that the negotiated reading for this advert is the fact that they are celebrating 50 Cent's career but simultaneously suggesting that they support gangs and criminals through the use of text that was used on the advert. 

Oppositional/Counter-Hegemonic Reading

I believe that there are many potential counter-hegemonic readings regarding this advert, one of which being the fact that this advert might be glamorising gang activities and criminals. By putting text that says "I am who I am" over a picture of criminal fingerprints, the idea of being a criminal is almost accepted and encouraged by 50 Cent because he isn't showing any regret towards what his life used to be like or giving any sort of message that shows that he is apologetic for his previous lifestyle. Additionally, it can be said that perhaps 50 Cent has intentionally been chosen as the focal point of this advert because the lack of female representation reinforced male domination in society. It could be said that because they chose a male as the focal point of the advert, women in crime shouldn't be accepted but males in crime should be. 

Preferred/Hegemonic Reading

I believe that the hegemonic reading of this advert is to show the importance of firefighters in Seattle (this advert specifically shows the Seattle Space Needle to show that this group of firefighters is based in Seattle). The fact that the characters take up a majority of the advert shows that they are very important to the city and they have high significance. The use of smoke in the background also reinforces how they put their lives in danger and this makes them even more significant because it makes our respect for them grow. 

Negotiated Reading

The negotiated reading of this advert would be that while the advert is emphasising the importance of firefighters in the city, perhaps they are giving the firefighters a sense of superiority compared to civilians and people with other jobs who still save people's lives- such as doctors, police officers, etc. 

Oppositional/Counter-Hegemonic Reading

Perhaps the counter-hegemonic reading of this advert could be the fact that firefighters think of themselves as superior to everybody else because they do a job that involves risking their lives every day. This could be thought due to there being no other civilians or people in this advert so this may give the audience the impression that firefighters believe they are too good to be on a poster with civilians because they have such a high self-image. Also, the fact that one of the only other things in the advert is the Seattle Space Needle, it suggests that they see themselves as influential and important as one of the most famous landmark in the state. 

How useful is the Reception Theory when analysing media products?

The Reception Theory is highly important when analysing media products because it allows us to understand how an audience could potentially interpret a product and this cal allow adjustments to be made in order to avoid misinterpretations by the audience. Hall suggested that all media products are polysemic and this is undeniable because everybody interprets things differently due to culture and society so producers of media products have to carefully consider the different interpretations that may come with certain aspects of the product. By using the Reception Theory, the possibility of a product being misinterpreted significantly decreases so I strongly believe that the application of the Reception Theory should be applied to all media products as it will also reduce backlash from certain products.