What do reception studies focus on, and why are audience interpretations central?

• A. How audiences decode media texts; emphasizes variability in meaning based on context and identity.
• B. How audiences decode media texts; emphasizes uniform meaning across all viewers.
• C. How producers' intentions determine interpretation for all audiences.
• D. How platform algorithms decide what audiences see.

Answer: (B)

Reception studies center on how audiences decode media texts, treating meaning as something readers actively interpret rather than passively receive. The core idea is that messages are not fixed; they are shaped by who we are and the contexts we stand in—our culture, social position, experiences, and identities. Because of this, different people can read the same text in many ways, leading to a variety of interpretations, reactions, and effects. That variability is what makes audience readings so important: it shows that media can have multiple meanings and influence depending on who is engaging with it.

This is why the idea of a single, uniform meaning across all viewers doesn’t fit reception studies. While producers’ intentions or how platforms push content can influence exposure, reception studies focus on how people make sense of what they see and hear, not only what was intended or what algorithmic feeds display.