COMMUNICATION THEORY
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 517 ▶ |
| Object type | Discipline oriented, General information, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
The theory of the information transmission under its various aspects.
The theory of communication has been established by C. SHANNON and W. WEAVER (1949). It is frequently referred to as “theory of information”, which it is only marginally. In effect, what travels from a sender to a receiver is a signal, which may, or not, convey an understandable meaning, when conveniently, or not, coded in a meaning bearing code.
The theory states in a general way the conditions for the reliable and correct transmission of data (or information if these data are included in an interconnected global system). It includes the study of physical codes, channels, transmitters and also noises, that can distort or destroy what is transmitted, and of the conditions needed to make up for these negative effects, i.e. the use of redundancy. It also establishes ways to organize and quantificate information for its transmission.
The fact that information is organized explains why entropy is proportional to the lack of information, as demonstrated by SHANNON. However, the use of the term “negative entropy” frequently associated with information has been seriously questioned.
Communication theory can, in principle, be applied to any mode of transmission of information, be it nervous, visual, by sound, electronic or, in a different sense, linguistic.
The basic elements of a communication system are: the transmitter (i.e. the encoder and broadcaster), the code itself with its basic units (for example bits or bytes), the energy impulses used, the transmission lines or media (channels), the receiver (i.e. the decoder).
In any case, as observed by H.von FOERSTER, Communication theory in its strict sense, is not much else than a simple general theory of communication technology.