The Hypodermic Needle Model sees audiences as passive receivers of media messages. It suggests that the media can directly inject ideas into people and influence their thinking without them questioning or challenging the messages. The theory views audiences as sitting targets that will believe everything they are told by media sources. However, the theory has been criticized for failing to account for people's ability to think critically and be influenced more by personal interactions than media alone. Studies showed people did not always vote or act as the media intended, disproving the idea that the media can hypodermically determine audiences' beliefs and behaviors.