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This report presents a synoptic view of the research on the subject of new information technologies that has been supported by Unesco and of research conducted outside Unesco's program. The report attempts to single out the main findings of this body of research and to identify new avenues of investigation and action that may be able to contribute to the growth of the research effort. An interdisciplinary approach is taken to the main problem areas in new communication technologies, and the issues discussed range over the fields of economics, law, culture, sociology, and education. The report is divided into eight chapters: (1) Unesco's Activities in the Research Field; (2) Research on New Communication Technologies: The State of the Art; (3) The Explosion of Information Production (audiovisual communication, telematics, and computer networks); (4) The New Legal and Political Issues (legal and institutional dimensions, computer and video piracy, and the law and the concept of information); (5) The Cultural Issues Involved in the New Communication Technologies (cultural imperialism, emergence of new forms of culture, and cultural assimilation of new technologies; (6) The New Technologies in Education (media education, informatics and education, and new distance education technologies); (7) The Social Aspects of the New Technologies; and (8) The Interaction between Technology and Society. A two-part bibliography lists 45 Unesco studies on information technology, and a general section lists more than 250 items. A list of research and Comnet centers concludes the report. (DB)