ABSTRACT
Developing integrated theories, curricula, or academic programs for what is variously referred to as the Information Age, the Communication Revolution, or the Information Society is a formidable challenge for several reasons. Communication and Information Studies, both of which are themselves largely interdisciplinary in origin and application, also suffer from some discipline-bound constraints that must be overcome to address many of the issues of the Information Age. Taking account of considerations relative to interdisciplinarity, focus, and level of analysis, four useful integrating concepts are: communication; information; mediation; and institutions. In integrative perspective, the relationship between communication and information is seen as a very intimate one. Communication is a process—an interactive process involving the transformation of information. Information is an artifact, representation, of product. Mediation extends human communication and information processing relative to: production and distribution; and reception, storage, and retrieval. The concepts of communication, information, mediation, and institutions provide a promising foundation for addressing many significant issues of the Information Age.
