「傳播有什麼意義？」是多數傳播學術工作者驀然回首，面對自身學術生涯時總會產生的提問。本文主要藉由研究者對自身研究歷程的回顧，從「口述影像、跨符號研究、意義科學與文化創意產業」所構成的一系列研究軸線，思考一位傳播學術工作者可能的自我定位和學術準備。 研究者認為，學術生涯是外界隨機的學術因緣與心中不變的知識旨趣所交錯踩踏而成的軌跡，學術因緣與研究旨趣兩者分別反映了研究歷程的「變與常」，而學術生涯的豐富性就蘊藏在「變與常」互為圖底的結構、以及兩者不斷相互辯證的實踐經驗中。 因此，「傳播有什麼意義？」這個問題的內涵，不僅包含了「如何探討傳播行為的意義、如何追求意義」等問題的思考？也涉及了傳播學者在傳播學術生涯中的自我定位。對傳播學術工作者而言，傳播的意義不僅在分析「意義共享」和「意義創造」等行為背後細緻豐富的意義結構，更涵蓋了我們如何在生活世界中追求意義、豐富意義的意義行動。

"Why communication?" is a question that often arises when numerous communication scholars reflect on their academic careers. This article utilizes the retrospection of this researcher's academic journey, from researching audio descriptions, cross-symbols, the science of meaning, as well as the cultural creativity industry, and explores the self-identity and academic preparation of a communication scholar. From the researcher's perspective, the paths of communication careers are based on a combination of fate and unaltered internal knowledge and interest in the subject. The predestined academic path and unchanged interests of knowledge reflect the "variation and normality" of a communication career. The richness of such an academic career is hidden between the structures of "variation and normality," where the two are acknowledged to be parts of the whole; in that, each aspect always requires the reflection of its reciprocal to be fully practiced. Thus, the question "why communication?" encompasses not only other questions such as how to explore the meaning of communication behaviors and how to pursue that meaning, but also those questions that seek to know the "self-identity" of communication scholars in such careers. Furthermore, the meaning of communication, to a communication researcher, not only analyzes the finer details and richness of the structure of meaning behind behaviors (such as sharing and creating meanings), but also embraces the actions of pursuing and enriching meaning in our world.