Author Description

This text uses the concept of problematic situation to explicate research on communication behaviour among students from the United States, Western Europe and Asia. A comparative study, it addresses how well communication theory travels and explores how students perceive messages, what elements in that perception are culturally delimited, and which are universal. The authors bring multicultural perspectives to bear upon issues relating to the nature of news, the social meaning of credibility, the users approach to mass communication, the agenda-setting role of media, intercultural communication and perceptions of public opinion. The book contains a discussion of four conceptually based fields of inquiry: comparative communication, intercultural (interpersonal) communication, cross-cultural (mass mediated and technology transferred) communication, and national (system) studies. There are also appraisals of youth cultures - to explain differences in communication behaviour.