The article discusses the potential contribution of (critical) discourse analysis to cultural studies. The textual/discursive approach to media reception is advanced as a way of investigating the semiotic and sociological concerns underpinning cultural studies. The article demonstrates the expediency of exploring the socio-cultural implications of media consumption by embracing its complexity. Understood as related to the textual/discursive, affective, cognitive, ideological and embodied aspects of identity, the complexity of individuals’ engagements with media is examined by means of discursive psychology. The advantages of this approach over other methods of investigating media reception are illustrated and discussed in relation to the concept of ‘cultural intelligence’. Relatedly, the importance of the proper understanding of the media consumer’s reflexivity is stressed, as well as an accurate operationalization of this concept in critical research.