Decoding Family Guy

I found the piece, “Encoding/decoding” by Stuart Hall very interesting. In the reading, Hall makes the claim that mass-communications is not necessarily a linear concept, but rather a process in which different meanings are “sustained through the articulation of connected practices.” In other words, we interpret/decode the message/thing encoded in different ways base on many factors, and that is what makes up mass-communication. Hall also draws on the work of Seiter and her studies involving semiotics when he states, “The ‘object’ of these practices is meanings and messages in the form of sign-vehicles of a specific kind.” Hall is saying that semiotics are decoded based on many factors, including life experiences, mass media, and society. Furthermore, Hall goes on to say that the codes we use for common things are not based in natural and transparent language, but rather simply in the universality of the language. I thought of the example of a raunchy television show, like Family Guy. Many people find the show to be enjoyable and watch it religiously. Other people cannot stand the show and see no humor or enjoyment in it. For people who like the show, they most likely understand the references to pop culture, especially the guest appearances of celebrities in animated form, and are not offended by the crude humor. In Hall’s terms, they are decoding the semiotics of the show and have positive connotations for the content on the show. On the other hand, the audience who does not enjoy the show has a negative connotation of the show and decodes the signs and messages in the program to be crude, based on cultural differences and societal influences.