- This text is for the mainstream audience as well as the explorer in some aspects. The formulaic format of the show appeals to the mainstream. In typical sitcom fashion, The Inbetweeners features a cast of a few main characters and follows them through their lives. The explorer can gain something from the show as the themes of the programme are not typical. Following 4 Sixth Formers through life whereas most sitcoms feature adults. The younger cast adds a small twist to the show in that the audience must evaluate situations differently as a result of age.
The preferred reading would be the one that the encoders placed into the show when it was being produced. The preferred reading would be empathising with the characters as everyone has probably been through high school so has experienced some of the similar antics the characters get up to. A preferred reading would be laughing at all of the funny situations and not taking them seriously but also being able to see the serious aspect of some parts of the show such as completely failed love attempts. The idea is that the situations are so random that it could only happen to the characters but the audience may still be able to relate in some way. The ideology that could be taken away from the text is that high school isn't something to worry about. All the situations seem to resolve themselves and are presented as quite trivial in comparison to the real world. The audience will be able to recognise that while you may embarrass yourself in school that it isn't the end of the world. The Inbetweeners is scarily accurate to real life in some aspects but then completely ridiculous in others such as the school fashion show wardrobe malfunction. It's unlikely a school would put a student in that position. The text thrives on British school culture, school kids are a completely different social group. Ideas that your parents really control you are everywhere in the text, it can appeal to parents as they might have had to tell their offspring similar things in the past but also can appeal to the kids of parents who may have been told off as they can relate and find the humour in certain situations.
The opposed reading would be seeing the humour and realising that the situations are meant to be unrealistic but not appreciating that. An opposed reading may look at the ideology that high high school isn't the most important thing and think that the text doesn't portray this correctly. If an audience member had an awful time in high school or perhaps experienced the same awkward situations they may feel that the show touches a nerve and reject the ideas. Someone who didn't attend a state school won't have had the same exposure in life to someone who did so they may reject some of the ideas that characters have about school. A teacher may disagree with how school staff are presented in the show and reject that idea.
A negotiated reading would be one that can decode something that wasn't deliberately encoded such as someone who has had a private education and may not be able to relate to some of the messages in The Inbetweeners but can still appreciate it for the humour aspect. The situations can be entertaining for many reasons, not specifically for humour but also for shock value. The fish beating scene is hilarious to some but also could be unnecessarily brutal to others.
An audience member can gain something from the programme regardless of age. Using the Uses and Gratifications model it can be seen that The Inbetweeners meets all 4 aspects. The text mainly meets the entertainment and escapism aspect, shown in the comedic occasions like when a character jumps on his 'friend's' car after reaching the boiling point of anger and snapping. It isn't violent but just wildly entertaining, an iconic scene from the series that is not just entertaining but has found its way into the social aspect with people in high schools across the country repeating lines from the scene word-for-word. The social side of the text came after it had ended, unlike texts such as The X-Factor which provide something to talk about the next day and then not really again, The Inbetweeners has created something that is known nation-wide and can be quoted for any situation. While not the most credible source, the text can also give students of GCSE age an insight of what Sixth Form will be like. At least they can see the absolute worst it could be. Better information exists about Sixth Forms but the text undeniably gives parents an idea of what their kids could be getting up to. Maybe the most prevalent way the text engages with the audience is through the idea of personal identity. Due to the setting of the text, audience members can relate to situations and feel personally connected to the characters themselves. The text really nails the stereotypes of friendship groups in school. There's always a 'Simon', a 'Jay', a 'Neil' and there's always the latest addition to the group who is a little different, 'Will'
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