Week 5 brought us to the idea of textual analysis — that is, the idea of interpreting the meanings of a media ‘text’. This is not unlike the textual analysis I was forced to slave away at during the latter end of my high school years. I found it pretty foreboding that for much of year 12 I would receive 6/10 marks for all of my textual analysis in an ominous cycle of 6, 6, 6 that made me very fearful of the upcoming exams.

I believe this is somewhat ingrained in my personality — I don’t often search for a deeper meaning, instead opting to take what is placed in front of me and interpret it quite literally. It’s those subtle meanings – the little details – that I often miss.

Nonetheless, interpretation of media texts is of a great deal of interest to me. Having studied the various models of media influence in year 12, I’ve always found Katz, Blumler, et. als “Uses and Gratification” model possibly the most satisfying as to what influence media has over its receivers. For this reason, one particular section of the McKee reading in particular stuck out to me.

There is no such thing as a single, ‘correct’ interpretation of any text. There are large numbers of possible interpretations, some of which will be more likely than others in particular circumstances.

This interpretation most definitely fits the uses and gratification model — that is — that the receiver uses media to gratify certain wants or needs. That is to say, we use certain elements of a text to gratify our interpretations of said text. 

We also discussed the concepts of signage and signalling. This discussion of signifier/signified created an interesting thought process for me on semantics — something I take some interest in. Because – as McKee said – there is no correct interpretation of any text. In the same vein — there is no uniform signified to each signifier — it depends on what qualities and traits one associates with each signifier. To one person; loyalty and warmth may be signified by the signifier “dog”. To another, “dog” may signify a feeling of terror, discomfort or dislike.