As mentioned above, academic interest in multimedia is linked to communication studies. Multimedia are viewed as a new medium, and the emphasis has been on understanding and exploiting the specific new qualities of the medium. The main themes of academic research on multimedia have been narration, aesthetics, and montage: What are the specific characteristics of multimedia as a non-linear medium? How is it possible to integrate different types of information (text, speech, music, graphics and digital movies) on the screen? What are the relations between text and speech and the relations between sound and pictures (imaging)? What is the role of interaction, and how can narration be combined with interaction? What are the roles of (multi)media in different educational settings? And finally, what are the relations between choice of medium and the didactic goals?