Stewart Hall's reception theory

Stewart Hall's reception theory that says that media texts are encoded to create a certain meaning, although the audience may take a different reading all together. the media product is then decoded by the audience and different spectators will create a subjective opinion for themselves.

The first episode of humans portrays a range of topics that allows the audience to decode and apply their own meaning. For example the way that women are portrayed in the pilot episode could be perceived as a negative representation. An example of this is the portrayal of the character Niska, who is an intellectually smart AI and is currently enslaved in a brothel. This representation of the character was intended by the producers to make the audience feel sympathetic for her because she is being kept against her will and is pretending to not be aware, even though she is. This is called the preferred reading, the intended meaning that the producers hope people would take.

However, some other audience members may take a oppositional reading. For example they could argue that because Niska is a AI that she doesn't have real feelings and emotions, even though it is implied that we know this is true because she clearly does not like her 'job'. this is an example of the oppositional reading where audience member take complete opposite reading that was intended. Even though this was not the intended reading, meaning can still be found and analyzed.

The final example of the reception theory is called the negotiated reading and it is where the audience acknowledge the preferred reading but take a different view and make the media fit their specific world view. An example of this in the first episode of humans could be the representation of men, men in this show are seen as rational and independent. However some audience members may see this as correct but also make a viewpoint of their own. E.g They may think men have these qualities but they may also think that men are impulsive as well, an example of this is when Leo will do anything to save Niska.