Reception theory proposes that the meaning of a text is produced through the interaction between the audience and the text, not inherent to the text itself. There are three main types of readings: dominant readings where the audience accepts the preferred meaning, negotiated readings where the audience modifies the meaning to fit their views, and oppositional readings where the audience rejects the preferred meaning. David Morley developed this theory and identified the three reading types based on a 1980 study of how different people interpreted a TV program.