The transformation of media and the expansion of communication systems in contemporary societies have made the concept of the audience one of the important notions in communication studies. In early communication theories, the audience was often regarded as a passive receiver who received media messages without participating in the process of meaning-making. However, the expansion of social and cultural research in the field of communication has shown that audiences play a more active role when encountering media messages and interpret and re-read these messages within their social and cultural contexts. Accordingly, the main issue of this study is to explain the concept of the audience in communication science and to examine its position in communication theories. The aim of this research is to analyze the concept of the audience within the framework of different communication theories and to clarify the transformation of perspectives toward the audience in communication studies. In this regard, by examining the theoretical foundations of communication, this study attempts to analyze the concept of the audience in various communication models and theories and to clarify its position in the communication process. The study also seeks to demonstrate how changes in theoretical approaches in communication studies have led to a redefinition of the role of the audience in the communication process. The research method in this study is descriptive–analytical and based on documentary analysis. In this method, theoretical sources related to communication studies, sociology of communication, and cultural studies have been examined, and concepts and theories related to the audience have been analyzed. Through the analysis of scientific and theoretical texts, an attempt has been made to explain the various dimensions of the concept of the audience and its transformation in communication theories. The findings of the study indicate that the concept of the audience has undergone significant changes throughout the development of communication studies. While in earlier approaches the audience was mainly considered as a receiver of messages, in more recent theories the audience is regarded as a social actor who plays an active role in selecting, interpreting, and using media messages. The results also show that in many contemporary communication theories, audiences are recognized as part of the process of producing and reproducing meaning in society..