what I have learned in the semester

At beginning of the semester, when I looked at the syllabus, I was scared by the four class projects, especially the film project. Because of the budget constraints, the construction in Second Life was switched to the web design. The making of the film was really a challenge for me because I did not have any professional communication or digital techniques background. From developing the idea of film to the postproduction of the film, I cannot believe that I could make it. In addition, I also struggled with web design. I had hard time figuring out the code of CSS and html because there are some little tricky things. If I mess up the code, everything will put it in wrong order. Actually, I constructed the website twice, because there was something wrong in uploading the files. However, during the process of doing the sub-projects, I have had an opportunity to learn different visual technologies like Photoshop, Movie Maker, and Dreamweaver. From the developing of idea of my theme to the construction of each sub-project, I am confident that I can apply the concepts of visual communication learned from class to my area of research by communicating more effectively through visual images.

In addition, doing the class projects provides me an opportunity to link with my research interests. For instance, from the project of visual communication of self, virtual identity, I found that the avatars’ appearances can reflect people’s personalities and the virtual experience in Second Life also influences people’s behavior in real world. In addition, in my digital remix project, I have learned how to use images to present my research interest, virtual tourism, and to communicate with others. The digital remix project inspires me to think about the future applications of the virtual world in tourism. Moreover, my film project helps me to explore the issue of social networking and virtual relationships and to think about the impacts of virtual relationships and digital identity on real life. Finally, the web design project provides me an opportunity to look at how markets use the internet as a marketing media to promote virtual destinations. The web site can use various types of visual images like photos and video to communicate as an effective marketing medium.

Both Sturken and Cartwright’s "Practices of Looking," and Kress and van Leeuwen’s "Reading Images: the Grammar of Visual Design" provided me with theoretical grounding for the projects and for my general understanding of the importance of the visual. Every day we engage in looking and seeing to communicate, interact and create meaning of the world. The social worlds in which we live are full of visual images that are designed to be seen with variety of purposes and intended effects. Sturken and Cartwright investigate the meaning of images, which are constructed by social powers, ideologies, and the systems of beliefs and values in all cultures. Images can generate meanings for viewers, yet viewers may interpret the meaning of images differently in particular social and cultural contexts. In addition, they also pointed out that the meaning of images not only depends upon the work itself but is also related to the codes and conventions of the image’s structure, interpretations and experiences of viewers, and the exhibited context of the image.

Sturken and Cartwright discussed the visual technologies and virtual experiences that are related to my field, virtual tourism. The development of digital technologies influences image reproduction and also affects society the way we see the world, and the way we use the image. For instance, from postmodern point of view, “non-space” like Second Life can create virtual identities for online users and provide functions of virtual society, economics, and community that are similar to real world. Furthermore, the avatar represents an actual body in the real world that engages in the social interactions of online space. Conversely, the avatar raises questions about how we think about the impact of virtual reality on real society.

In Kress and van Leeuwen’s “Reading Images: the Grammar of Visual Design,” they discuss the notation of semiotics and sign making. In our society, we use a variety of visual signs to communicate. It is important to know how to use images to denote something to communicate with participants through signifiers (the form) and signified (the meaning). Parallel with Sturken and Cartwright, Kress and van Leeuwen stated that the meaning of the sign is constructed differently across culture. A sign may mean one thing to certain affinity people yet may have an entirely different meaning to different people, while a sign may also have common meanings in different cultures, such as the universal signs that indicate rest rooms. They stated that the image can say the same thing as language. Moreover, Kress and van Leeuwen further discuss visual representations by using linguistic structures, such as narrative representations and conceptual representations. It is interesting to know that the concept and theory used in linguistic structure can be applied in the visual context. Kress and Leeuwen discussed the interaction between the producers and the viewers of the image. Usually the producers are not physically present when the viewers interpret the image, so there is a disjunction of information interpretations between the producers and viewers. In order to make the interactive meanings between the producers and viewers, there are different communicative functions to encode the image visually, such as the perspective of the image, the size of frame, and modality judgments.

After taking this course, I have a better understanding the concept of visual communication. If we want to communicate effectively by using visual images, we need to know who our audiences are, what kind of visual language can be used, where to distribute our visual image, and how to design an interactive visual image. Visual images have great influence on our daily life and can be used in different ways such as telling a story, recording history, entertaining, or expressing ideas. Visual communication can be as powerful an equivalent as verbal communication, and in some instances information presented in visually is much better than verbally. Thus, because in everyday life we use images to express ourselves, to communicate, to learn and to experience pleasure, it is important to know visual communication culture.

website

http://people.clemson.edu/~yuchinh/

Ch 7 & 8

In 7th chapter, the authors discussed the role of meaning making in different material production of the sign. The material production of a design is an important part of meaning making and also a crucial semiotic feature. They addressed that “Every culture has systems of meaning coded in these materials and means of production, and sign in their materiality are fully motivated by the producer of the sing in a particular culture” (p.216-217). Material production comprised the interrelated semiotic resources of surface, substance and tools of production that produced complex effects of meaning. The forms of productions are related to society’s technologies. They categorized three classes of production technologies: 1) technologies of the hand, 2) recording technologies such as audiotape, film, 3) digitally synthesized technologies. Those technologies developed different distribution media and have profound semiotic consequences. In addition, they also discussed the relationship between color and the semiotic mode. Color is a means for making representations and has been used as a semiotic resource. For instance in Chinese culture, people use the color yellow to worship Emperor.

From ideational function perspective, color can be used to denote people, place and things. For instance Clemson University uses the orange color to signal their identities. Moreover, color also conveys interpersonal meaning and constructs social relation. For example, if people go to watch football game, they will wear an orange Clemson t-shirt to represent their support for tiger team. The authors talk about the semiotic of color from different approach, such as saturation, modulation, purity. In terms of saturation, the higher saturation represent positive, adventurous, and the low saturation represent subtle and repressed. In the modulation, flat color may be perceived as simple, overly basic, simplified, and modulated color may be perceived as subtle, overly fussy, detailed. They stated that “the truth of flat color is an abstract truth and the truth of modulated color a naturalistic truth” (p.234). The semiotic of color should depend on people’s character and social value.

In chapter 8, the authors discussed the role of three-dimensional visual communication in the visual grammar framework. The visual grammar framework of two-dimensional images can be applied in three-dimensional visual communication but they pointed out a couple difference between them. For instance, the distance and angle between producer and viewer in a two-dimensional image are static, but in a moving image the relationship is dynamic. In other words, distance and angle in most film change constantly, and usually use multiple perspectives.

The image is static

The sections appear to be revolving

Ch5 of reading images

In 5th chapter, Kress & Leeuwen discussed the credibility or true value of the image. The concept of modality in linguistic has been applied in the visual context. The author stated that “modality judgments are social, depend on what is considered real (or true or sacred) in the social group for which the representation is primarily intended” (p.156). When one social group considers credible may not be consider credible by another in different culture (P.171). From the perspectives of naturalism, reality is defined as how much correspondence there is between the visual representations of an object and what we normally see of that object with the naked eye that has had cultural training in a social setting (p.158). The greater abstraction, the lower modality. Besides, the use of color, shadow, brightness, texture in an image gives the different degrees of modality. For instance, naturalistic modality increases as color articulation increase, but if the color articulation presents more than real, the modality decrease.

Moreover, the author talked about the naturalistic critical of the image and claimed that a belief of what is real and what is not on the objective correspondence of the visual image determined visual modality. However, the technology of reproduction creates a new standard for naturalism. Naturalism and realism in today society no longer merge and we need to rethink the role of new image technologies. For example, diagrams, maps and technical images do not seek to present naturalism but these still represent what is real in scientific perspectives. In addition, the author mentioned when the art became intertwined with design, the boundaries between representing reality and constructing reality became blurred.

sub-porject 3

The following link is my film project, please enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV1_fEMa8ao

Chapter 4 of reading images

In chapter 4, Kress and Leeuwen discussed the interaction between the producer and the viewer of the image that involves the represented participants and interactive participants. Represented participants are the people, things, and places that depicted in images and interactive participants are people who make sense of images and communicate with each other. Usually the producers are not physically present when the viewers interpret the image, so there is a disjunction between the producers and viewers. The author stated that “the image itself and a knowledge of the communicative resources that allow its articulation and understanding a knowledge of the way social interactions and social relations can be encode in images” (p115). In order to make the interactive meanings between the producers and viewers, there are different communicative functions to encode the image visually. For instance, the size of frame to the choice between close up, medium shot and long shot is one dimension to the interactive meanings of image. The distance also determines the social relations. Through the patterns of distance, people can be portrayed as friends, intimates or strangers.

In addition, the perspective of the image is another way to bring relations between producers and viewers. The selection of an angle implies the expressing subjective attitudes that are social determined. The point of view is the position of the viewer in relations to the image including subjective and objective images (image with or without central perspective). In subjective images, the viewer can see what there is form a particular angle, and in objective images the image reveals everything there is to know. Besides, the horizontal angle and vertical angle convey different relation between the represented participants and viewers. “Horizontal angle is a function of the relation between the frontal place of the image producer and the frontal plane of the represented participants” (p134). The Horizontal angle can encode the meanings of image as detachment and involvement. Moreover, in terms of vertical angle, a high angle makes the subject look small and insignificant, and a low angle makes it looking imposing and triumph (p140). Thus through the angle and social distance, viewer can make sense and relation to the represented participants in a certain way.

conceptual representations

In chapter 3, the authors discussed the conceptual representations together with classification processes, analytical processes, and symbolic processes. Classification process related participants to each other in terms of relation where a set of participants act as subordinates and at least one other participant act as Superordinate. In classification process, Kress and Leeuwen stated that tree structure is one kind of classification structure and they linked the relationship between visual image and social structure and mentioned that “Conceptual classification is a represented by the same structures as social hierarchy and the hierarchies of concepts are represented as being subordinate to its origins” (p. 80-82).

In addition, analytical processes relate participants in terms of part and whole structure that involve carrier (whole) and possessive attributes (parts). In analytical process, defining characteristics in specific content is one of the major purposes. For instance, in temporal analytical process, timeline represents the history of the world as successive states with fixed and stable characteristics. We could find that timeline could be used to signify human history by visual means. In dimensional and quantitative topography, chart are drawn to scale based on the quantity of aggregated to distinguish participants such as different socioeconomic groups or landmarks. Furthermore, the authors also talked about symbolic processes that are about what a participant means including symbolic attributive and symbolic suggestive. Symbolic suggestive processes have one participant, the carrier and the participant represent the meaning that coming from within. Symbolic attributive processes represent meaning and identity as being bestowed to the carrier. Thus, from reading this chapter, we could know that the visual image could be used to represent relation between people, places and things.

digital remix- virtual tourism

reading images: Ch2

In chapter 2, the authors discussed the narrative representations in visual communication and the relationship between visual structures and linguistic structures. They pointed out that “visual image and diagrams work in the same way as language and they can “say” the same thing as language in different ways” (p.50). “Represented participants” is one of the major components in visual communication including interactive participants which is the act of communication and represented participants who constitute the subject matter of the communication. Two theories could be used to identify the participants: formal art theory and functional semiotic theory.

The author pointed out that participants are connected by a vector to represent doing something or a process, and the vector always present in narrative structure. In addition in narrative structure, actors also play an important role and defined as” the participants from whom or which the vector departs” (p.59). There are six kinds of narrative processes which are action process, reactional process, speech and mental process, conversation process, geometrical symbolism and circumstances. “Those narrative processes can be distinguished on the basis of the kinds of vector and the number and kind of participants involved “(p.63).

In action process, when images or diagrams have only one participant, the action is called nor-transactional process that is no goal or aimed. In contradict, in a narrative visual proposition, a transactional process have two participants: one is the actor and the other is the goal. Some transactional structures are non-directional and some are bidirectional. Besides, in reactional process, the vector is formed by an eye line, by the direction of the glance of one or more of the represented participants (p.67). reactional process can also be transactional process or non-transaction process. Furthermore, speech process and mental process is the vector in comic strips. In geometrical symbolism, the meanings of image are constituted by their symbolic value. Moreover, the author mentioned that in circumstances structure, the tools used in action process often represent as circumstances of mean and there is no clear vector between the tool and its user.

In sum, the relation between vectors and participants forms different kinds of narrative process. The visual image or diagrams can represent narrative meaning the same as language.

digital remix

reading images: introduction & Ch1

In the first chapter the author described the relationship between visual communication and linguists. Spoken and Written language have been used for communicate in our society as well as visual image. Images have different functions between illustration, decoration and information. In order to produce message easily interpretation and to make suitable form for its participants, communication and representation play important role in semiotics. The major notation in semiotics is the sign making including signifiers (the form) and signified (the meaning). The concept of denotation relates to the signified that an image denotes something to communicate with participants. In our society, we use a variety of visual signs to represent and communication. The meaning of visual sign may be interpreted or constructed differently across culture.

A sign may mean one thing to a certain affinity people, may have an entirely different meaning to different people. For example, the following sign have different meanings across countries.


A sign may also have common meaning in different culture such as the signs of rest room. Whenever we travel to different countries, we could easily find the restroom by looking the sign.

Ch9-10

In chapter nine, the author discussed scientific images and its means of representing knowledge in science. Scientific images are a visual way and expert representation to know the world. With the growth of image technology, scientific images could see the truth beyond the human eye and provide insight into the humankind body interior such as X ray, ultrasound image. The images of body’s interior interpret by medical professional to understand how the physical body function and have evoked the transcendence of the real that contribute a sense of the readable and transformable body . Further, the scientific images develop the mapping of the human genome to identify the genes that constitute the human chromosome. Struken & Cartwright stated that “now we live in a “reality” we understand to exist at the molecular, invisible level” (p.376). The mapping of human genome can be used in not only changing disease-causing genes but also changing difference of mental capacity and other attributes of human being that present an evident of improvement of human life. The mapping of human genome has also raised the argument about the cloning and selective breeding. The genetic images allow us to control over our body to change appearance and cognitive abilities and I wonder how the genetic images influence on social value and culture in contemporary society.

In tenth chapter, the author described the global visual culture, and how visual culture contributes to the process of globalization. The image circulated through print media, broadcast TV, and films around the world with the development of satellite and web. Through the communication technologies, the long distance connection facilitates the global flow of visual culture that increases the circulation of concepts, ideas, politics and cultural product. The movement of globalization make possible for people, products and culture to across nation boundaries that result in the trade liberalization and the emergence of global market. The global brands company used local strategies to market their brand differently in different places as an aspect of emergent cultural and national identities in different contexts. Struken & Cartwright pointed out that “two aspects of identity –the global and the local are inter dependent” (p404). With global trade liberalization and cultural exchange in a world moving toward a global village, I was wondering will the development of globalization facilitate the global culture that make difficult to identify national culture.

avatar appearance

The initial appearance












The initial appearance is an avatar with black jacket and blue jeans including a white t-shirt. He has tattoos in his both arms and a long hair style.





standard avatar appearance










The digital version of my standard avatar appearance showed his characteristics as a digital traveler whose pastime is to travel different place to discover something different to everyday life, something new, worthy seeing site in this virtual environment.






summer outfit









A short sleeve polo shirt made by Nike, a pair of short blue jeans with matched tennis shoes and a pair of sunglassbecomes his summer outfit.







winter outfit









In winter time, my avatar wears a long sleeve white shirt and black formal pants as well as a black overcoat. He always layer two or three when it is cold so he won't freeze.






formal dress










In traditional western style of formal wear, he has a dark black suit and a white formal shirt with a gray tie. The formal dress will be suitable for him to participate in formal social events.

ch 7-8

In chapter seven, the author discussed the relationship between advertising image and customer culture. Through the message of advertising, consumers receive different perceptions about brands and products. Because in consumerism, people are under the physical and mental exhaustion, the consuming of commodities can offer therapeutic function to enhance self-fulfillment or personal improvement. Usually the advertising explicitly or implicitly convey the image of better live, health lifestyle, better appearance, self improvement that create consumer relationship to brands and establish the brand or product is necessary to daily life. In addition, the advertising also attaches personal emotion and cultural affection to connote specific meaning for consumer like belonging, prestige, style. For instance, in modern society people will buy certain brands to show their prestige or in upper class like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada.

In addition, the author also discussed viral marketing. Advertisers employed marketing techniques to disseminate their brand awareness through consumer’s social network or to sell their products by word of mouth. The product information communicated by word of mouth also has an added layer of credibility. For example, when we decide to take a trip, we search information on the travel blog to get some personal travel experience or we will ask our friend or family members to get some recommendation on our tourism decision making. With the development of computer technology, the online discussion forum or online communities will create new forms of distributing advertising message to target niche consumers. In today consumer society full of commercial and advertising information I am wondering would the viral marketing be more effective than traditional marketing like TV, newspaper, or radio.

In eighth chapter, the author discussed the postmodernism and the relationship with popular culture. Sturken and Cartwright stated that “the postmodern is characterized by the questioning of the supposed universality of structural knowledge as well as skepticism the modern belief in the universality of progress” (p312). In postmodernism, we rethink the traditional paradigm and there is no absolutely truth in postmodernism’s world. Postmodernism remake or rework mass and popular culture as an approach to reflex to our real life activity. Sturken and Cartwright also declared that “postmodern style redefined the notion of authorship and the relationship of production, distribution and consumption that has been enabled by changing technologies and new cultural practices” (p334). Rework or remark became a style of postmodernism to create art and I wonder if the ides of originality in art and the value of true are no longer important for postmodern artist.

In addition, the author also described the growing of digital technologies and virtual experience, postmodern space emphases on the “non-space” like Second Life. Second Life, which is an online world and simulated space, can create virtual identities for user and provide the function of virtual society, economics, and community similar to real world. The avatar represents actual body in real world to engage in the social interaction and activities in online space. How do we think about the impact of virtual reality in social structure of the real world through psychological, and other types of interactions?

Ch 5-6

In fifth chapter, the visual technologies, image reproduction and the copy, the author discussed the relationship between visual technologies and image reproduction and how the relationship affects our life and social meaning. The development of visual technologies such as photography, cinema, television, and digital image techniques influenced the image reproduction. The reproduction of images affects society including the impacts on the way we see the world, and the way we use the image. The meaning and value of image will be produced instead of generated when technology, “invisible editing, manipulation”, comes into play. Sturken & Cartwright declared that “it has always been possible to fake realism in photographs”. The digital technology may change our belief that “seeing is believing”. A question come to mind is that if realism could be fake, what the value of real is. Sturken & Cartwright also discussed the relationships between value, original, and reproduction and asserted that “the easy reproducibility of the unique work of fine art in photographic era has altered the way value is assigned in the art market, but not to the degree we might have anticipated”. They also stated that despite the availability of reproduction, the value of original work still hold in art market. For instance, the reproductions of Mona Lisa’s paintings facilitate the enhancement of the value in the art market and became famous around the world. In addition, Sturken & Cartwright described that because of the reproduction of images, the issue of copyright, ownership and intellectual property have been raised. However, there is not clear distinction between the ownership and copyright and the unclear boundaries create a lot of controversial issues. The question about the nature of creativity and reproducibility is still blurred. I was thinking that if a painting imitates only some portions of Mona Lisa’s painting, will it be see a creative or plagiarism and if the copyright prohibit the reproduction of Mona Lisa’s painting, will the painting become so widespread?

In chapter six, media in everyday life, Sturken & Cartwright discussed how the mass media such as TV, radio, web media affect our everyday life and society. Some people believed that because of the rise of mass media, people lose the sense of community and interpersonal life while others argued that mass media provide more opportunity to connect with community and gain more information about local regions. I think that mass media provide privacy sphere for family and the information access to local issue connect to their communities. Moreover, Sturken & Cartwright also described the relationship between media and public sphere. Through broadcast media such as call in talk show, webcast forums, people participated in the discussion of public issue to create a public sphere that could produce social change. In addition, mass media could affect viewer as a part of national audience thinking to foster the sense of national identify. Furthermore, Sturken & Cartwright also talked about the emergence of webcast media. Without going out, people can access local, national, global information to increase the individual experience of the world simultaneously through webcast media. The experiences of global media help us to connect to geographically distant community and people. In tourism, there are a lot of researches going on how the webcast media influence traveler behavior. For instance, the webcast media like travel blog provide information for tourist to interact with others that influences on their travel decision and travel blog also can record what happen in their journey instantly to share with family or friends. For marketing point of view, I am wondering how business applies the power of web media to marketing their products and services.

chapter 3 & 4

In the chapter three, Sturken & Cartwright discussed how the gaze integrates to the system of power. Photographs and other forms media influence on people’s participation in social norm and sticking to dominant social value. Furthermore, they also talked the relationship between spectatorship and gaze to understand how viewers respond to an image in a historical and cultural context. Sturken & Cartwright asserted that “the unconscious and the symbolic activity that gives rise to representations, linking personal feeling to the world, are considered to be important components of that network” (p.120). The term of Gaze let me link to the idea of “tourist gaze” which is one kind of travel experience that captures the visual perception of a particular place, landscape, or a mega-event through photographs, films, postcards or guidebooks. For travelers, something different to everyday life, something new, worthy seeing site will draw their attention to take photographs to record the journey. The tourist gaze provides important connection to the traveler’s feeling and tourism destinations. In the concept of tourist gaze, taking photographs is also a good way to catch particular live political, celebratory and sporting events that what happens at a specific moment such as US president Obama’s inauguration, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

In chapter four, Sturken & Cartwright discussed the convention of realism and abstract. There is no clear distinction between realism and abstract. The art or representations of realism reflect the truth about society and can reproduce historical meaning in contemporary context. Sturken & Cartwright talked about the role of perspective in visual system to understand that images can perform as not only reproductions of the world but also of ways of seeing and emphasized that “reproducibility in images is not just about the capacity of art works and images to be copied but also about the aim to copy or reproduce the real” (p.143). Furthermore, they discussed the change of convention of realism in the context of digital media. For instance, video game places viewers in interactively creating environment and the players are afforded the experience of seeing as if the eyes of character. Sturken & Cartwright asserted that the term of virtual provides misconception of not real or only exits in imaginations and stated that “virtual reality systems create simulations that attempt to provide an experience in which players feel as if they are physically incorporated into the world on all sensory levels” (P.177). Digital media bring different kinds of perspectives and provide more interactive interactions with viewers. I was wondering comparing to the photographs and films, would the digital media be more realistic.

Possible theme of 853

I am interested in investigating the impacts of virtual experiences of Second Life on tourism decision-making. My intent for the semester project is to do something related to tourism. For the digital remix, I would to make an electronic brochure regarding the tourism destination to introduce the information of the area including activities, accommodations, attractions, restaurants, and shopping. Further, the film is an interactive and effective way to promote destination image of the tourism attractions and to influence tourist decision. I will make a film to provide more detail travel information of the tourism destination since information search is the first step to make a vacation decision. For the virtual exhibition in Second Life, the first though came to my mind is the construction of a special theme hotel room, or a beautiful beach scenery in Second Life. I would like to choose a tourism destination nearby Clemson like Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston. My avatar will be either a tourist on vacation in the beach area or a hotel staff in the front desk.

practices of looking Ch1 & 2

In chapter 1, images, power and politics, we could learn that every day we engage in looking to communicate, interact and create meaning of the world. The social worlds in which we live are full with visual images that are designed to be seen with variety of purpose and intended effect. We negotiate the social worlds through the practice of looking. A single image can convey many diverse meaning to different people. Sturken and Cartwright discussed the image and ideology and stated that “to explore the meaning of image is to recognize that they are produced within dynamics of social power and ideology” (P.22). Practices of looking are tied to ideology which is the system of beliefs and values in all cultures. The meaning of images can dramatically change when those images represent in different cultural and social contexts. In addition, they also discussed the value of image and asserted that “ the work of detecting social, cultural and historical meanings in images often happen without our being aware of the process and is part of the pleasure of looking at images” (P.34). The social value of images is determined by particular social contexts such as monetary, social and political factors. According to the criteria of uniqueness, authenticity and aesthetic style, we give social value to images and art of works. Furthermore, they talked about image icons. Image icons that are historically and contextually produced are perceived to represent universal concepts, emotions and meanings to evoke similar responses in all cultures and in all viewers. What are the important elements of images to become an image icon?

In chapter 2, viewer make meaning, images can generate meanings for viewers yet viewer may interpret the meaning of images differently from how it is intended to been see. Sturken and Cartwright pointed out the meaning of images not only depend upon the work itself but also related to code and convention of image’s structure, interpretations and experiences of viewers, and the exhibited context of the image. They also asserted that “meanings are the product of a complex social interaction among image, viewers, and context” (p55). In addition, Sturken and Cartwright discussed view interpretations: aesthetics and taste. From aesthetics point of view, the art of work bring people pleasure through its beauty, style or the creative and technical virtuosity that is depend on individual interpretations. Sturken and Cartwright say “Taste is informed by experience relating to one’s class, cultural background, education and other aspects of identity” (p.56). They also stated that “the distinctions between different kinds of taste culture have traditionally been understood as the difference between high and low culture” (p.60). However, later in twentieth century the distinction between fine art and popular culture, high and low taste, which involves the elements of hierarchy and value judgment was criticized and became vague. A question to think about is that how low culture gain social value to become high culture. Moreover, Sturken and Cartwright talked about encoding and decoding. Stuart Hall has proposed three positions of decoding of cultural images and artifacts are dominant hegemonic reading, negotiated reading and oppositional reading. A question come to mind is that if an art of work generate oppositional interpretations to viewers, could the work evaluate as a good work or good art?