AGRICOLA IND 89053984, This article describes a proposal by the authors that the distinction between interpersonal and mass media communication has had detrimental effects on the progress of communication theory and research. First, the conceptual boundaries between these two types of communication is discussed. Next, the political and historical reasons for the distinction are described. The authors provide evidence for this separation by citing studies which examine the degree to which researchers in the two areas cite each others' works in research publications. Finally, the consequences of this distinction are presented. Included in this section is a table listing the main characteristics of interpersonal, interactive, and mass media communication.
