Examining self-organizing systems models that seek to explain the emergence of patterns of behavior in systems that are initially in a state of disorganization, this book presents a number of applications to contemporary communication theory.

Traditionally, the open systems approach has been used to describe communication structures and processes. This book does not deal with social systems from this perspective. Rather it examines self-organizing systems models that seek to explain the emergence of patterns of behavior in systems that are initially in a state of disorganization. This volume examines the models currently under development - autopoiesis, catastrophe theory, fractal geometry, dissipative structures, complexity theory, cellular automata and artificial intelligence - and presents a number of applications to contemporary communication theory.