Von »Kommunikation für Entwicklung« zur »cultura mediática«

In Latin America, theoretical and empirical approaches in media research concerning the interrelation of changes in the media, community, and society have a long tradition. They include the analysis of changes in interpersonal communication and cultural communities as well as research on the relation between communication, development and »nation building«. It is a tradition that can be successfully applied to the analysis of the impact of the implementation of New Information and Communication Technologies, and to changes in communication, the constitution of meaning, and identity. This article describes the development of the theoretical debate and studies concerning the interrelation of changes in the media, community, and society in Latin America, and stresses the impulses for European communication research.