MED4107 New Media and Photography | Week 5 | Discourse

Discourse Reading Response

This week the key readings are about discourse, and discourse analysis. Devereux (2007) mainly talks about discourse analysis and discourse in relation to power. Mills (1997) also covers these subjects.

Devereux (2007) defines discourse analysis as “a close examination of text, including visual imagery and sound as well as spoken or written language… It aims to understand and elucidate the meanings and social significance of the text” Discourse analysis concerns not only the form of the text, but also its use in social context, how it is constructed, distributed and received. “It is better to view discourse analysis as a range of approaches rather than a single practice” Devereux (2007).

Devereux (2007) talks about how modern discourse analysis “aims to achieve a more whole and transparent view of the world through understanding dominance and power… with the search for meaning behind the social construction of words, sounds and images remaining at the heart”.  Mills (1997) also talks about how power is a key element of discourse. Mills (1997) says how Foucault’s analysis of power helps when looking at ways of thinking about discourse.  Mills (1997) says “power is dispersed throughout social relations, that it produces possible forms of behaviour as well as restricting behaviour”.

Devereux (2007) says that discourse analysis “allows us to question, analyse and interpret beyond what may seem the preferred reading of a text”. This relates to a concept used by Hall, who looks at the active decoding of a text by the reader.

Devereux (2007) explains how discourse analysis mainly analyses texts themselves, but audiences can interpret media language (signs and codes) in ways that are different to what the creator of the codes intended. Hall (1980 cited in Devereux 2007) has an encoding/decoding model that can be applied to all forms of media. “It suggests that audience are not passive, but they are capable of decoding messages according to their own social identity”. I think it is important to think about how readers decode the language from a text, and compare it to why the creator used the language in the text.

For further study, I would be interested in looking at a media text, using Hall’s model, along with a discourse analysis of the text. The methodology I would use would be discourse analysis. It would be interesting to see the contrast between what the language of the text sets out to do (from the discourse analysis) and the results of using Hall’s model. To get results from Hall’s model I would use rhetorical analysis or semiology, as this will allow me decode messages in a text from an audience point of view. In terms of what media text I would look at, I would chose a new media text, like a news website. This way I can look at the language used.

References

Devereux, E., ed. (2007) Media studies. London: SAGE.

Long, P. and Wall, T. (2012) Media studies: texts, production, context. 2nd edn. Oxon: Taylor & Francis.