How does audience agency relate to power relations in media consumption?

• A. Audience agency acknowledges active selection by individuals
• B. Audiences have no influence on media outcomes
• C. Power relations erase audience agency entirely
• D. Audience agency grants complete control over media content

Answer: (A)

Audience agency is about people actively making choices and interpreting media messages, not simply receiving them. In practice, individuals select what to watch, read, or share, and they bring their own experiences and identities to how they understand and use media. This active selection happens within power relations that shape what gets produced, who owns the platforms, and how content is distributed and framed, so agency operates inside those constraints rather than in a void. The correct view recognizes that audiences negotiate meaning, resist, remix, and participate in ways that influence media outcomes, even if producers and institutions still hold power. The other options misrepresent the relationship by implying no influence, erasing agency entirely, or granting audiences complete control over content.