You have hit exactly on the core paradox of Baudrillard’s philosophy. In his view, the traditional boundary between the person watching and the object being watched has completely collapsed.

When he says audiences become "pure screens," he means the viewer is no longer a separate person absorbing information; instead, the viewer's mind becomes just another surface where media signals bounce around.

Here is how that reversal works:

1. The Screen is No Longer a "Screen"

Traditionally, a screen is a window or a barrier—something you look at or through to see a representation of the world. Baudrillard argues that the television or computer screen has ceased to be a screen in this sense because:

• It doesn't reflect reality anymore; it only reflects other media.
• It doesn't hold a distant "spectacle" at arm's length.
• Instead, it broadcasts a non-stop stream of data that seamlessly blends into our daily lives until it becomes our environment.

2. The Audience Becomes the Screen

Because media is interactive, hyper-connected, and immersive, it absorbs the viewer.

• The "Terminal" Effect: You do not just sit back and watch a show; your attention, your data, your reactions, and your psychological states are plugged directly into the media network.
• Pure Surface: Baudrillard wrote that the modern individual is "no longer a spectacular actor... but a pure screen, a switching center for all the networks of influence."

The Bottom Line

In the postmodern world, you don't look at the screen; you are integrated into it. The television doesn't broadcast to you; its logic of signs, symbols, and simulations flows through you, turning the human consciousness into the ultimate playground for media data.