Making meaning matter

A response focusing on Chapter 2 from Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright’s, Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture

In Chapter 2 of their text, Sturken and Cartwright discuss the power of images in respect to the roles producers and viewers play in evaluating and, therefore, making meaning of those images. The authors write: “Rather, meanings are created in part when, where, and by whom images are consumed, and not only when, where, and by whom they are produced” (Sturken and Cartwright, 55). This quote magnifies the relationship between the producer and the viewer, and to some extent points out that perhaps meaning cannot be understood (or even processed) without the existence of both parties.

The discussion of taste and aesthetics is one that seems to circulate everyday conversation, regardless of the topic or scene of said conversation. For example, food, clothing, and home and garden design are all up to the scrutiny of viewers and the critiques given vary as does the venue and context. The authors suggest just this: “…the circulation of objects through categories of taste and the reclassification of objects according to new scales of value show us that hierarchies of taste and beauty are not fixed but are relative to historical and cultural interpretations” (Sturken and Cartwright, 58). This is seen in the recycling of several trends (e.g., fashion). High-waist jeans with belts and tucked in blouses are now deemed acceptable in the fashion world and even trendier than they were some time ago. Similarly, tie-dye has been on the rise in recent years; these trends, however, are showcased in a different light than their original debut. Sturken and Cartwright note these trends in later pages when they write that revisiting trends from previous times “has allowed young people to create new styles by mining styles of the past” (Sturken and Cartwright, 79).

Continuing with the idea of aesthetics and taste is the correlation with low and high culture and in turn, this placement in popular culture. The text states that animated films have evolved from once being only for children to now inviting older audiences to enjoy the laughs. Take, for example, the DreamWorks Shrek series — it appeals to children and includes a tremendous amount of dry adult humor. The evolution of the film industry (in this respect) as well as the inclusion of popular culture curriculum in universities, are evidence of the shift in multiple forms of culture.

In reading the text, I took great interest in Stuart Hall’s explanation of encoding and decoding. The popular culture example of American Idol (and similar series) was very relevant and intrigued me to inquire more about this particular show in relationship to the three positions Hall states viewers can take as decoders. In a simple search, I found the following video:

This video, created by a student for the purposes of a class assignment, elaborates on the ideas Sturken and Cartwright mention in Practices of Looking, including negotiation and opposition. The student discusses the role of the viewers and exactly how powerful their roles are—as individual voters—in shaping the outcome of a nationally coded television program. The video complements the idea that American Idol embodies “a set of ideological beliefs about democracy, encouraging the idea that voting in the show is like voting in political elections” (Sturken and Cartwright, 74). This method is seen across other television shows, such as America’s Got Talent. Both the text and the video propose the idea that this show (and perhaps related shows) is one presenting a modern-day means of achieving the American Dream.

It is fascinating how we move from making meaning of what we think are simple images to then pondering the complexities of things we later view. We then find, process, and ponder meaning of images in conjunction with what we already know. In addition to interpreting images from our individual perspectives, we give way to the thoughts of the massive audience of which we are classified. We dissect television shows or animated films and, “make meaning…not only through describing an experience with images but also through reordering, redisplaying, and reusing images in new and differently meaningful ways in the reordering of everyday life” (Sturken and Cartwright, 89).

Source: “Encoding and decoding.” YouTube. 19 May 2010. Retrieved 3 September 2012. Web.