Bridging the Mass-Interpersonal Divide Synthesis Scholarship in HCR

Abstract

Despite tremendous progress in communication research and theory, the history of the communication field has been marked by theoretical fragmentation, identity crises, and disciplinary isolation. Human Communication Research (HCR) has provided a forum for research that strengthens the discipline's legacy of theory construction as well as discussions about theory development. An important contribution was a 1988 symposium, where leading scholars examined the “false dichotomy” between mass and interpersonal communication research. Although the philosophical discussion has continued, innovation in communication technologies have challenged the traditional definitions of mass and interpersonal communication by blurring many of the practical distinctions. This article assesses HCR's contribution to synthesis scholarship and compares it to similar efforts in other national journals. It also examines how new communication technologies are intensifying the need for scholars to construct theory that transcends outmoded levels of analysis. This important theoretical discussion is viewed as central to the future of the field during its next 25 years.