Assignment on Visual Communication

Visual Communication

Table of Contents
TOPIC 3: ENCODING AND DECODING: RECEPTION AND THE AUDIENCE....................3
Aberrant decoding........................................................................................................................3
TOPIC 4: ADVERTISING AND CONSUMER CULTURES: ELEMENTS OF SIGNS..............4
Characteristics of consumer society.............................................................................................4
TOPIC 6: Symbol, metaphor and irony: Towards modernity.........................................................5
Analysing the image being presented in Henri Cartier Bresson’s photograph............................5
TOPIC 8: Political and religious signs: Towards global culture....................................................6
Meaning of cultural imperialism and ways in which it has contributed to visual culture...........6
TOPIC 10: The gaze and the other: Advertising signs and sexual signs: Gender imaging...........7
Reason for representing gender difference in depiction of nude in art........................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

TOPIC 3: ENCODING AND DECODING: RECEPTION AND THE
AUDIENCE
Aberrant decoding
It is the concept that is generally applied in the field of communication and media studies,
journalism. This is the subject that describes interpretation of message from sender to receiver. In
every communication, sender encodes message into set of signs and when receiver receives this
message, then decoding is done (Clark and et.al, 2017). This decoding helps in understanding
actual meaning of the message. In order to make effective communication, this code system is
being shared between sender and receiver. For example, thoughts are encoded into words, when
communication is done to the other person and Receiver receives this message and decode the
words back into thoughts. When interpretation of the message is different from the actual
meaning, then it is called as aberrant decoding. This occurs in the situations where culture,
language and believes of two people are different from each other (Clos and et.al, 2014).
Sturken and Cartwright have discussed the concept of aberrant decoding. They have
explained that if text has been decoded by using different codes that are used in encoding, then
actual meaning of message will get changed, this is the aberrant decoding. This concept explains
that it is very important for the sender and receiver to use similar code system (Aberrant
decoding, 2017). If there are different codes used in encoding and decoding, then actual meaning
can get differed. The people those who do not know about languages can get failed to translate
the message in an accurate manner. For example: John Fiske has declared that aberrant decoding
takes place with iconic codes which refers with some visual messages. Researcher has seen
prehistoric cave painting of animal as graceful and moving. Whereas Margaret claimed that this
painting is of dead animal (Clos and et.al, 2014). Thus, it is shown that if culture of two
individuals are different and if they are using different code, then it may change the meaning of
message. Person who lives in the place where living animals are being valued they look at the
picture of animal with respect; on other hand, if the person who does not give respect to animals,
then they will look at the pictures from different perspective. Another example of aberrant
decoding is TV broadcasting whereas many companies give their information but it is interpreted
in different ways. Thus, communication is highly depended upon the media who receives the
message and how they interpret this content (Aberrant decoding, 2017). If there is big difference
between languages of two people, then they cannot coordinate well with each other. Sometimes,
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