Comm 203: Media Literacy:Take 1

Intertextuality can be defined as "the shaping of texts' meanings by other texts." A text is basically like a set of symbols used to transmit some kind of a message to inform others." We are discussing media objects as texts and not messages because sometimes there can be certain biases towards what the message actually could be. The answer to this is that all of us are correct in the way we perceive certain objects/texts/messages. All of our perceptions are correct depending on what background culture/knowledge we have or don't have. Texts can be either opened or closed. The difference between them is that an open text can be read in various ways, but a closed text has a direct meaning. In the end, all texts are polysemic when read. They can have signals that have various different effects on the viewer. Texts can and always are interpreted in different ways. This depends on the culture or background of the audience it is being presented to. If you take a look at the photo presented in this assignment, some may say it appears to be very "sexy" or "attractive." Others may read it as being a "gang rape" and become offended by the message it is sending off. It is not at all clear exactly what the person who created this ad was thinking. The way we read text is always different depending on the audience it is given to. It all depends on how we perceive the world as a whole. The beauty of the ideas behind text and intertextuality is that we are able to communicate in ways never thought of before. It is good to become more open-minded about these ideas and different perceptions because there clearly is not only one particular view of the world. There are various views and I think that reading text through the eyes of others is an important step in seeing the world in different lights and communicating this way.

litnotes