Communication and the Good Life: Why and How Our Discipline Should Make a Difference

This article addresses whether the discipline of communication can contribute answers to the question what a “good life” could be, particularly regarding recent developments in new communication technologies. It starts with the assumption that much of human striving results from 3 fundamental needs that new technologies promise to satisfy as they allow us to be online and connected with others almost all the time. It posits that new ways of using electronic media do both, satisfying and challenging human needs at the same time. It suggests that communication scholars should also focus on pressing societal problems, such as understanding the competent handling of these new technologies. Ultimately, it proposes to intensify our attempts to work more interdisciplinarily and more internationally.