Media Studies A-Level
Encoding/Decoding
What Encoding/Decoding means in Media Studies A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definition of Encoding/Decoding
The process by which media producers imbue texts with specific ideological meanings (encoding) and the subsequent process by which audiences interpret those meanings (decoding) based on their own social contexts.
Topics that use Encoding/Decoding
- Media audiences (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Audience Agency
- Audience Positioning
- Cognitive Surplus
- Cultivation and Socialization
- Decentralization of Power
- Digital Labor and Monetization
- First-Order Beliefs
- Moral Panics and Media Regulation
Using Encoding/Decoding in the exam
Definition questions usually carry one or two marks, and examiners look for the precise wording. Write the definition from memory, check it against the version above, and then use the term in a longer answer on the same topic so it sticks.
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