1 The London School of Economics and Political Science Interpretation From audiences to users Ranjana Das A thesis submitted to the Department of Media and Communications of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, May 2011 2 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of the author. I warrant that this authorization does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. 3 Abstract In this thesis I primarily address those within media and communications studies who research mass media audiences and their engagement with a diverse range of texts. I ask in what ways our knowledge about the interpretation of genres, emergent from many decades of empirical research with mass media audiences, is useful in understanding engagement with new media. This conceptual task is pursued empirically by applying a conceptual repertoire derived from reception analysis to interviews with youthful users of the online genre of social networking sites (SNSs). The thesis presents findings on the heterogeneity of children’s experiences in using SNSs following their perceptions of authorial presence, their notions of others using the text, their expertise with the interface and pushing textual boundaries. I explore four tasks involved in the act of interpretation – those being intertextual, critical, collaborative and problem-resolving. In analysis, I also reflect on a selection of the core conceptual tools that have been animated in this thesis, in research design as well as analysis and interpretation. It is concluded that inherited concepts - text and interpretation, continue to be useful in extension from the world of television audiences to the world of the internet. Second, inherited priorities from audience reception research which connect clearly to the conversation on media and digital literacies prove to be important by connecting resistance and the broader task of critique to the demands of being analytical, evaluative and critical users of new media. Third, the notion of interpretation as work is useful overall, to retain in research with new media use, for there is a range of tasks and responsibilities involved in making sense of new media. 4 Contents Declaration ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ 3 Contents ........................................................................................................................................... 4 List of papers produced out of this thesis ....................................................................................... 7 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 8 1. Interpretation: from audiences to users..................................................................................... 10 Transforming audiences and the evolution of an agenda ............................................................................ 13 The significance of heterogeneity in interpretation and use .................................................................... 15 A genre of interest ......................................................................................................................................... 17 Conceptual challenges ................................................................................................................................... 19 Empirical challenges ...................................................................................................................................... 20 A shared agenda ............................................................................................................................................. 21 Interpretative work – users ............................................................................................................................... 23 The conceptual and the empirical .................................................................................................................... 25 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................................... 29 2. In pursuit of interpretation ........................................................................................................ 31 In pursuit of interpretation: mass media and the story as told… ............................................................... 34 In pursuit of interpretation: new media, and an unfolding story ................................................................ 46 Audiences and interpretation, users and literacies .................................................................................... 47 Concepts of the interface ............................................................................................................................. 50 Interpretation: between stable legacies and promising possibilities............................................................ 54 Six texts ........................................................................................................................................................... 55 One of many repertoires ................................................................................................................................... 63 3. The contract of interpretation ................................................................................................... 66 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 66 De/links ............................................................................................................................................................... 68 Theories of meaning – textual considerations ............................................................................................... 73 The work and the text ................................................................................................................................... 74 Conventions and the anticipation of roles in reading .............................................................................. 77 From conventions to affordances ............................................................................................................... 79 Openness and closure ................................................................................................................................... 81 Theories of meaning – the act of interpretation ............................................................................................ 84 The interpretative contract ........................................................................................................................... 84 A reader-oriented position ........................................................................................................................... 87 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................................... 91 4. The interface of interpretation .................................................................................................. 95 Decisions ............................................................................................................................................................. 96 Operationalizing the interpretative contract .............................................................................................. 96 Problems with and the significance of textual analysis ............................................................................ 97 Beyond canonized divides ............................................................................................................................ 99 Prior instrumentation in data gathering................................................................................................... 101 Research design ........................................................................................................................................... 103 5 The qualitative interview ............................................................................................................................ 105 Processes .......................................................................................................................................................... 107 Research ethics ............................................................................................................................................ 107 Decisions in sampling and recruitment ..................................................................................................