Reception Theory

 1) The preferred reading for this image is that we should accept what we are and embrace your lifestyle by buying the RBK shoes. Also our backgrounds and culture are things we cant change. This reading would accept these messages sent by the producer and decode them the way in which they were intended.

The Oppositional Reading is that we determine who we are not our background or past, we have the ability to change who and what we are. Culture doesn't define us and we shouldn't need to buy shoes from RBK to discover this. It could also be justifying a criminal lifestyle which enables this type of behaviour inside the black community. This reading would reject the messages given to us once we decode the intended meanings

The negotiated reading would be that having an understanding of what you have at the current moment isn't a bad thing but awareness of yourself  and what you should be grateful for can help to change what you are and who you will be tomorrow. Its message is too accept yourself and your culture but this isn't the right way to send these messages when the history of this community isn't righteous or chivalrous. This message given to the consumers shouldn't be said for advertising shoes. This reading would understand the messages but disagree with certain aspects of it due to morals and beliefs.

2) The preferred reading for this image is that our faith and dedication will be rewarded if we forfeit everything for this ambition. Everyone has goals in life in terms of creating a successful career for oneself but nobody is willing to take this leap of faith in order to make this goal a reality. 

Oppositional reading for this image would be that to gamble everything you have in your life (e.g. friends/family hobbies etc) for a chance to become successful is selfish. There are many reasons why people don't go to this extent of faith in a goal since it jeopardises your own personal life. Some people in the working class may not want to rise from this status while others may be more ambitious but fearful of failure. 

The negotiated reading for this image is that having extreme faith in ones attributes and ambitions is a good ability that more people should have but this attitude can usually be self destructive. Believing in one thing to this extent can lead to a person being very self destructive with everything else revolving around in your life. Focusing on one thing in your life isn't healthy but it can always help to have confidence in your beliefs.

3) Reception Theory is very useful to interpreting media products since it helps us understand that audiences are free to take a message from a media text and view it in a positive, negative or simply open minded viewpoint. Audiences will respond in different ways to these texts due to there cultural and moral beliefs when they decode the messages inside a media text-Someone born into a bad neighbourhood may take a preferred reading when interpreting 50 cents advert. No matter what media will always be polysemic. However these messages could simply just miss interpreted by audiences and this could be the reasons we see a producers intentions in different lights compared to other people when reading a media text. In conclusion, Stuart Halls theory is useful when finding out how people decode messages.