Dutch: Short but clear and complete summary of the Media content course. This summary is based on the theory from the lectures (NOTE: the literature is not included!) + many examples have been added to make sure you are well prepared for the exam. The document is in English because the exam is also...
Mediacontent – summary (lectures)
exam material
Ordered by different topics / subjects; these are the most important ones.
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Difference between reality and representation:
Reality is the actual state of things.
Representation is how we interpret and understand it in symbols, words or
images. Representation of reality differs from reality itself, because it adds
meaning through signs.
Representation OF reality Representation FOR reality. The representation of
reality in Mediacontent has consequences for the adaption of views on reality.
!! James Carey (2009): Communication is a symbolic process whereby reality is
produced, maintained, repaired, and transformed”. !!
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Three dominant outlooks in Communication Science:
1. Persuasion focuses on strategies to persuade others.
2. Culture maintaining and shaping social norms and traditions.
3. Information facilitate the transmission and reception of facts and
knowledge.
There is no such thing as THE content, because content is defined by the
perspective used. For instance, a news article can be:
- Persuasion-focused: highlighting the viewpoints presented to shape attitudes.
- Culture-oriented: analysing how the story reflects societal values.
- Information-centric: focusing on facts and knowledge.
Each outlook defines content differently, highlighting different aspects of the
same message.
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3 types of signs according to semiotics (Peirce):
1. Icon: resembles the thing it represents. It looks like the thing it represents.
For example: a picture of a cat looks like a real cat.
2. Index: associated with the thing it represents. It is connected to the thing it
represents. For example: a footprint in the sand shows that someone
walked there.
3. Symbol: arbitrarily related to thing it represents. It is a special code that
means something. For example: a heart symbol means love, but it does
not look like love.
Question: You want to communicate to someone about an upcoming
thunderstorm by showing a picture of clouds with rain falling. What type of sign
, Isa van Aaken Media content – BA2 s1121938
are you using? Iconic sign.
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The representation theory:
The theory of representation (representation theory) focuses on how we gain
knowledge about reality through representation. It explains that we use signs to
make sense of the world.
Mead (1934): “Symbols mediate and structure our experience because they
structure our ability to perceive and interpret what goes on around us.” In
order to add meaning to the signs, you must know the ‘code’ of the signs,
otherwise it will be meaningless to you.
Sign systems are very vital to our understanding of the world.
For example: a map is a representation of a geographical area. It uses lines and
symbols to represents roads, cities and landmarks, making it easier to
understand the layout that observing the entire region directly. The map is the
representation (of a place), what helps us understands where to go and what is
around is.
“There is no such thing as pure, uncoded, objective experience of a real and
objective world. The latter exists, but its intelligibility depends on codes of
meaning or systems of signs, like language.”
There is an empirical reality, but to make sense of it (add meaning to it) you need
signs such as words or images. You need to know the signs to make sense of it /
you have to be familiar with the signs.
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Approaches in the representation theory:
The reflective approach (think of a mirror) in the representation theory assumes
that the meaning is already in the object. The meaning is already present in the
object being represented. This means that the object itself contains the meaning,
and the representation is simply a reflection of that existing meaning. For
example: A picture of a cat is not a collection of lines and colours, but it reflects
the meaning of a cat that is already present in our understanding of the world.
The picture reflects that meaning; it is not that the picture makes the cat mean
something, but the cat already means something and the picture shows us that.
The intentional approach in representation theory states that the meaning of a
representation is determined by the intention of the author. They believe the
author/creator chooses symbols and signs to transfer a specific message. Viewers
are not obligated to adopt this perspective; the constructionist approach argues
that meaning is not fixed by the author, but constructed by the audience through
their interpretation and experiences. For example: a writer choose specific
phrases and imagery in a novel to evoke particular emotions and themes. The
author’s artistic choices directly shape the work’s meaning.
The constructionist approach views meaning as something that is constructed by
using signs. It argues that meaning is created through the way signs are used an
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