INTERGENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN DECODING ENCODED MEANING IN MALAYALAM SOCIAL MEDIA VISUALS: A VISUAL COMMUNICATION STUDY

Abstract

Social media visuals have become an important part of communication in today’s digital world. Memes, reels, troll images, posters, and short videos are widely used to express humour, emotions, opinions, and social messages. However, people from different generations often interpret these visuals differently depending on their age, media exposure, cultural understanding, and familiarity with internet culture. This study examines how Gen Z, Millennials, and Pre-Millennials decode Malayalam social media visuals. The research is based on Stuart Hall’s Encoding and Decoding Theory along with concepts of visual semiotics, dual coding theory, and cognitive load theory. A quantitative survey method was used for the study, and data were collected from 105 respondents through image-based questionnaires using both online and offline methods. The findings reveal that younger audiences are more familiar with meme culture, symbolic meanings, and internet humour, while older generations often focus on direct or literal meanings. The study highlights the role of digital exposure and social media participation in understanding visual communication. It also explains how visual interpretation changes across generations in the Malayalam digital media environment.