The document discusses several theories of audience: 1) The Hypodermic Needle Model from the 1920s which viewed audiences as passive receivers who were easily manipulated by media creators. 2) Stuart Hall's reception theory which recognized that audiences could have negotiated, oppositional, or preferred readings of media texts based on their own views. 3) Uses and gratifications theory from the 1960s which saw audiences as active consumers who use media texts to fulfill different personal needs and purposes like diversion, social interaction, or learning behaviors.