Audiences interpret identical media messages in varied, non-passive ways

Evidence

Studies (Cavanaugh 2009; Bruce 2006) looking at how the media affects viewers have shown that audiences do not passively and uniformly absorb media messages; rather, many viewer categories perceive and interpret media messages differently and in different ways. — Muhammad Asad Latif, The Identity of Religion Always Comes Up, 20

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies a core media-studies premise — the active audience — against the hypodermic-needle model of media effects.