Introduction

Someone once said that social scientists should confine themselves to making predictions about the past. Even then, many would argue, they are just as likely to get it wrong as right. Attempting to make such predications in the field of communication represents one of the most perilous challenges. It is humbling to recall for example that videophones were invented in the 1960s. It was assumed that these marvelous inventions would quickly become as commonplace as radios and televisions. It turned out, however, that most people do not really want to be seen when they talk on the telephone. It seemed like a good idea at the time.