Comparison of positioning of the audience within communication theories

In this study, it is aimed critically to examine the positioning of the audience that has a significant role as the target of mass media in different communication theories. With this aim, in what way the audience is positioned in main-stream and critical perspectives is studied in a social and historical context within the framework of some main-stream perspectives; Strong Effect theories, Lasswell?s Communication Formula, The Transmission Model and some critical perspectives; Frankfurt School and British Cultural Studies. This paper is a theoretical and qualitative research that studies the audience according to the descriptive historical methods. According to the main argument of this paper, both in main-stream theories and critical theories the audience can be defined as ?passive? or ?active?; however in the theories within both perspectives there is no absolute consistency in positioning of the audience.