What is a major risk of tokenism in audience perception?

• A. It leads to more authentic representation.
• B. It can create backlash if audiences feel superficial or fake diversity.
• C. It reduces production budgets.
• D. It guarantees access to more minority audiences.

Answer: (B)

Tokenism in audience perception happens when diversity is added only on the surface, not as part of real, meaningful storytelling. The major risk is that audiences notice it as a performative inclusivity effort, which can feel fake or box-ticking. When that happens, viewers may push back, criticise the work for being inauthentic, and react on social media or in reviews, leading to a backlash that harms engagement and credibility. This is why tokenism is risky: it undermines trust and can damage a show's reception even if it includes minority characters or stories. The other options miss this core effect—genuine, well-integrated representation aims to broaden appeal, tokenism does not guarantee broader access, and it doesn’t inherently reduce budgets.