You, me or us: the audience

Generally speaking, the definition of an audience is one that refers to a group of listeners or a person within hearing range. But in a media context, these are thought of as a 'benchmark' term for older media forms of audiences. Media technologies can be understood as acting in a way which brings people together, creating an audience. An example of this is shown through broadcast media, where is takes a dispersed group of people and brings them together. Recorded media, such as print, also allows people to access the information at different times while still creating an audience. The history of media audiences differs in writing depending on what view you prescribe to, for example, McLuhan said that people were both fragmented or brought together depending on the type of media. Interactivity within audiences is usd to refer to a number of types of audience engagement, and can therefore be seen as a rather over used expression within media. Human interaction, also known as horizontal interaction, is peer-to-peer communication. Whereas human to media interaction, also known as vertical interaction, expresses a differential of status, with one being more knowledgeable than the other. So, can audiences today be seen as engaging more with media forms and more in control? or less powerful and unfulfilled?