Media Theory: Active Audience Theory

One theory I would like to incorporate into my film opening is the Active Audience Theory. This theory by Stuart Hall states that audiences are active consumers who interpret media through the lens of their own experiences and social contexts. The intended message of the creator may not be understood because audiences make sense of messages through what they know and may interpret messages to support their beliefs. 

The film itself deals with the struggles of depression and the desire to commit suicide, this can be interpreted differently by the audience. Audiences who may have experienced isolation or depression might resonate with the main character’s emotional state, seeing it as a reflection of their own struggles. Others might see this behavior as part of being a teenager and the angst this stage comes with; they might interpret this narrative more lightly.  

The role of social media in this film will be minor but significant enough for audiences to resonate with it. As the audience sees the girl delete the message after seeing her friend’s Instagram story some might view this as an overreaction to a normal situation. Other audiences, especially teenagers, might relate closely to the role social media has in feeling rejected, isolated, and left out, especially when seeing it on social media.  

Her house is dull and no one answers when she gets home. This interpretation may vary depending on the audience. Some may interpret it as a broken family dynamic, a divorce, or emotionally distant parents. Others may see it as a normal household when nobody is home. 

Lastly, the diary being the main character’s way of venting can be seen differently by the audience. For some viewers, this might feel familiar as maybe they also turned to writing as an outlet to express themselves when they felt like the world around them didn’t understand them. 

Overall, our film will develop various struggles that today’s teens will be able to relate to or even interpret to fit their own experiences. All the elements we included like the diary, social media, and the environment serve as open-ended symbols that allow the audience to project their own emotions and feelings into them. 

Here is some more information on this media theory