To the question of the concept of the theory of total media

It is for the first time that an article gives a conceptual view of a new interpretation media theory through the prism of their integrality. This view is revealed in the concept of "The Total Media theory" based on a broad interpretation of the media as any means and channels of communication, which represents a comprehensive media environment. The aim of the given research is to prove the global, total nature of the media. To achieve this goal, the author carried out a linguistic analysis of the use of the word "media" in different languages, analyzed variants of its filling and use in different epochs, on this basis a classification of media on different criteria was worked out. As a result, the author concludes that a broad interpretation of the media creates conditions for the functioning of a coherent theory - The Total Media theory, allowing to see new horizons for media research. Within the framework of this theory, it becomes possible to identify the essential characteristics of media, such as viativity (cross-cutting action), integrativity, media variability in a changing media environment, and the inevitable deforming impact of media on communication subjects.