"decoder"

When we negotiate images it often means that we take what we see and interpret it in our minds both at conscious and unconscious levels. Watching a television show we sometimes become addicted to certain things we like about the characters, settings, or even realism the show portrays. When I watch television I usually go for the reality shows and I think it is because I find more interest in watching people hurt, succeed, struggle and even things that people deal with in life that I may not or wish to. I will be the first to say that I dislike television and could live without one in my home however when you get me in front of a reality show its like my eyes are glued to the t.v. because it is very interesting and we do act as decoders when it comes to television.

In our text it talks about reality television programming and the fact that it is a means for television industries to create cheap programming without having to pay the high fees of known performers and scriptwriters. The television show that I have watched for a few seasons that it was on was The Real Housewives of Orange County. The position I took as a decoder was the negotiated image because I would take the meanings of the images or lifestyles on the screen and put them into my own perspective on life even though it didn't pertain to me directly.

The fact that I can place myself in the sense of single parenting, everyday drama, and mix it up with a higher class of people was very interesting. Although everyone would love to trade their life for what we see on television we know in reality that is not going to happen. The fact that these people are millionaires, drive fancy cars, spend money like its nothing, live in mansions, and have massive amounts of plastic surgery to look like a million bucks can be quite intriguing to someone who doesn't have that.

My idea of decoding images or acting as a decoder while watching television shows probably differs from others. I can take any reality show and decode it and put myself in the realm of the everyday life of the person who is belong filmed even if I am not close to their style, culture or class.