Audience Psychology: From Reception to Active Participation

The media landscape in the digital age is undergoing profound transformations that have reshaped the relationship between media and audiences. This relationship has evolved beyond its traditional linear nature to become interactive and multidirectional, where audiences play an active role in the production of meaning and media content. This study starts from the fundamental premise that classical models for understanding audiences—such as the direct effects theory and the uses and gratifications theory—are no longer sufficient to explain the new dynamics of the interactive audience, which combines the roles of receiver, producer, and distributor. The research focuses on analyzing audience psychology in light of these digital transformations through a critical review of traditional theoretical frameworks and compares them with emerging concepts such as the prosumer (producer-consumer), citizen journalism, and interactive reception. The study also discusses how media shape collective consciousness through algorithms, framing, and repetition, in addition to the technical, cognitive, and communicative dimensions of interactivity in the digital environment. The study aims to uncover the challenges and opportunities posed by this new interactivity, particularly concerning risks such as misinformation, hate speech, and epistemic closure, as well as the potential to enhance freedom of expression, community participation, and the creation of content that is more responsive to audience needs. Ultimately, the study seeks to provide an analytical framework that contributes to understanding the shift from passive to interactive audiences and highlights the psychological and sociological dimensions of contemporary audience behavior in the digital media environment.