Paradigm Shifts Within the Communication World

Book excerpt: "This collection of essays emphasizes new and emerging research paradigms in the communication world. The aim of this book is to provide researchers and practitioners with new paradigms in the form of ideas, concepts, trends, values and practices in the communication realm. This book will examine current, emerging, and cutting-edge approaches to communication in the broadest sense. The focus of this book is to draw in-depth understanding on the phenomenon of continuous and rapid growth of new communication means, shifting from the traditional unidirectional sharing of information to multidirectional sharing channels. The chapters take the reader on a journey through new paradigms and emerging domains in which communication is expected to play a greater role. Readers of this book will be inspired by these new paradigms in communication and seek to push the boundaries even further to keep up with the breathtaking speed of the digital era. Perhaps the most significant take-home message from this book is the demonstration of how practices map onto paradigms. This collection presents 18 high quality chapters from a multi-disciplinary collection of internationally leading and emerging scholars. These chapters provide students, scholars, and practitioners alike with readable, engaging and innovative ways to think critically about communication"--