Evolution of Media

A. Michael Noll is emeritus professor of communications at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California and director of technology research at the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information. He worked previously at Bell Labs, the White House, and AT&T and brings all his varied and extensive experience to this book.

• Chapter 1 1 IntroductionPart 2 Part I: Understanding Communication MediaChapter 3 2 The Written Word: From Printing to the InternetChapter 4 3 The World of AudioChapter 5 4 Still and Moving ImagesPart 6 Part II: Comparing MediaChapter 7 5 A Taxonomy of Communication MediaChapter 8 6 The Modality, Purpose, and Interactivity of CommunicationChapter 9 7 TechnologyChapter 10 8 Consumer PerspectivesChapter 11 9 Media ComparisonsChapter 12 10 BandwidthPart 13 Part III: Analyzing MediaChapter 14 11 ServicesChapter 15 12 Computer CommunicationChapter 16 13 Content and ConduitsChapter 17 14 EnhancementsChapter 18 15 ConvergenceChapter 19 16 Industry StructurePart 20 Part IV: Thinking StrategicallyChapter 21 17 Five Factors for Shaping the FutureChapter 22 18 Historical PerspectivesChapter 23 19 Using the Five FactorsChapter 24 Appendix: Technology TutorialChapter 25 Bibliography

No better brief treatment of the subject of communication media exists than what Noll offers in these pages. Noll, a highly regarded expert, provides a sure-footed guide to what the student or concerned citizen needs to know about the technical base and rapidly changing nature of today's media systems. His five-factor model captures the strategic dimensions that need to be considered in evaluations of business choices and regulatory regimes for communication media.