ABSTRACT
The United States has passed through many stages in its development as a democratic society. Society has already begun to move beyond the Intelligence Era into the next stage of development, the Communication Era. During this new stage, assertive communication is essential. As the years go by, older people will represent an increasingly larger ratio of the national population. There is a great concern about the economic limitations of society. As costs increase, the needs of older people increase, and resources in the country decrease. Once considered to be intrusive to the privacy of the home during the 1930s and 1940s, telecommunication units seem essential to the daily lives of most Americans. The videophone, a telephone with a television screen, is an innovation in telecommunications that allows people to see each other while they are talking. It is used a great deal in the teleconference.
