'''The Encoding/Decoding model of communication''' was first developed by Culturalcultural Studiesstudies Scholarscholar [[Stuart Hall (cultural theorist)|Stuart Hall]] in 1973. His essay 'Encoding and Decoding in the Television Discourse' offers a theoretical approach of how media messages are produced, disseminated, and interpreted.<ref name="Encoding and Decoding">Hall, Stuart. Encoding and Decoding in the Television Discourse. Birmingham [England: Centre for Cultural Studies, University of Birmingham, 1973. 507-17. Print.</ref> A founder of the Birmingham School of Cultural Studies, Hall has had a major influence in media studies. His model claims that TV and other media audiences are presented with messages that are decoded, or interpreted in different ways depending on an individual's cultural background, economic standing, and personal experiences. In contrast to other media theories that believe audiences are passive, Hall presented the idea that audience members play a significant role in interpreting messages by using their own social contexts, and might be capable of changing messages themselves through collective actions<ref name="Active Audience">"Stereotypes in the Media." Stereotypes in the Media. Wordpress, 25 Mar. 2010. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.</ref>.
Since advertisements can have multiple layers of meaning, they can be decoded in various ways and can mean something different to different people.<ref>Kelly, Aidan, Katrina Lawlor, and Stephanie O'Donohoe. "Chapter 8- Encoding Advertisements: The Creative Perspective." The Advertising and Consumer Culture Reader. By Joseph Turow and Matthew P. McAllister. New York: Routledge, 2009. 133-49. Print.</ref> Hall claims that decoding can take three different subject position: Dominant/hegemonic position, negotiated position, and oppositional position.
