A new direction for communication theory: medium as instantiated in communication

Former ANZCA president Robyn Penman (2012) has recently called for the 'serious' consideration of communication. This paper presents one means of doing so. In the current paper, I sketch the contours of a reconstructed holistic, medium-attentive theory of communication - one which takes the generative character of communication, per se, seriously. When we take this capacity seriously, a medium no longer appears merely as a channel awaiting content - as it is typically conceptualised in prevailing approaches to Communication Studies. In contrast, a medium is conceived as a social accomplishment made within communication itself. This alternative view of medium is reframed within a more general approach to Communication and Communication Theory. The paper is ultimately designed to prompt members of ANZCA to reconsider the everyday practicality of developing and exploring general theories of Communication.