Media for Interactive Communication

Bretz presents a review of the new communication systems which allow people to respond and interact with each other, or the machine, as if in face-to-face conversation. Video conferencing, video telephones, and teletext — a range of such communication media are already in use or on the drawing boards. The author describes a number of such systems and their uses. He also discusses quasi-interactive systems, which seek responses from an audience before they can proceed. He considers the problems involved in designing such systems and suggests future possibilities.