What's the Difference Between Audience, Users and Consumers?

Yesterday I was preparing a presentation for a major Dutch candy company. I noticed I kept interchanging the words audience, user and consumer. I found this interesting and an example of the blurring of roles that's taking place in marketing and media consumption today.

Audience seems to have attached to it an assumption of passivity. As an audience member, you are expected to sit quietly, observe and clap when everyone else claps. Certainly, I act as an audience member sometimes. When I went to see Star Trek last week, I didn't add my own commentary, and I'm sure the rest of the theater was thankful for that. However, about an hour into the movie, I did pull out my iPhone and tweet about how awesome the movie was.

Consumer, on the other hand, may be passive or may be active. If we are talking about consumption of content, that process may be a pretty inactive one. However, if you are talking about consumption of a product, then, of course the consumer must take action. They must call a phone number, get up and go to the store or log on and order.

An user is a completely active. They are clicking, dragging, opening, inputting data, commenting and sharing with their friends.

But think about this, when I am watching Lost at ABC.com on my laptop, am I an audience member? Of course I am. Then while watching I see a commercial for a Subaru WRX. At that moment I am expected to act like a consumer, right? Then if I start playing with an embedded widget that's delivered with the ad, I've obviously, become a user at that moment.

Therein lies the beauty and danger of online marketing. You can never treat your target as only one of these. They can switch from an audience member to a user, to a consumer at the blink of an eye. They also, can switch from a vocal advocate to vocal critic just as quickly.