ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book deals with many ideas and theories about the messages each of which tries to help us understand better what communication is and how it works, and the role it plays in our lives and our societies. It discusses M. M. Bakhtin's theory of intertextuality, which helps explain not only why our conversations take the shape they do but also the relation of works of art to one another sometimes borrowing story lines. Thus, Marxist theory has become increasingly important as a means of assessing the role communication plays in politics and the social order. Sociologists have had interesting things to say about genres and the uses and gratifications we obtain from the media. Sigmund Freud alerts us to the role of the unconscious in our lives and the messages we send and receive.
