The text is an historical analysis of the situation of the Spanish daily press in the period from 1875 to 1942. It concludes with a consideration of the outlook for future developments. In each of this phases, the press is studied from a political, professional, industrial and economic perspective. The article sets out by examining the role of the researcher in the face of the profound transformations which have taken place in the more industrialized societies. The reductionism of the prevailing theoretical approaches is criticised.
Pluralism is seen as an outcome of the postmodern exaltation of difference.
The development of the information highways and the general increase in the possibilities of access to all forms of information create a need for an ecology of the mind. The individual is exposed to information overload. The relationship between noise and meaning in information consumption is examined. The field studied is that of economics, finance, commercial and administrative information consumption. The author examines the varying degrees of noise production, and varying degrees of consumer protection from this noise which is a product of information overload.