This paper describes the media imperialism approach to the study of international communications, which focuses on the processes by which modern communications media have operated to create, maintain, and expand systems of domination and dependency on a world-wide scale. To provide some theoretical basis for the media imperialism approach, the paper presents a brief overview of the dependency model, which analyzes Third World developmental problems in terms of an analysis of the relationships between developed and developing nations. Based on this discussion, new directions for research for media imperialism are outlined. In particular, the paper calls for research on factors and forces operating on a national level to complement research on international factors, for formulation of the cultural issues involved in media imperialism, and for expanded research of non-mass media forms of communication. In conclusion, the paper argues that in the formulation of a theoretical approach to the study of media imperialism, the concept of theory prevalent in most areas of the social sciences is inadequate and that a broader concept of theory should be used. (Author/FL)