Means of communication are used by people to communicate and exchange information with each other as an information sender and an information recipient.
Means of communication are used by people to communicate and exchange information with each other as an information sender and an information recipient.
We use many different materials in communication. Maps, for example, save you tedious explanations on how to get to your destination. A means of communication is therefore a means to an end to make communication between people easier, more understandable and, above all, clearer. In everyday language, the term means of communication is often equated with the medium. However, the term "medium" is used in media studies to refer to a large number of concepts, some of which do not correspond to everyday usage. [1] [2]
Means of communication are used for communication between sender and recipient and thus for the transmission of information. Elements of communication include a communication-triggering event, sender and recipient, a means of communication, a path of communication and contents of communication. [3] The path of communication is the path that a message travels between sender and recipient; in hierarchies the vertical line of communication is identical to command hierarchies. [4] Paths of communication can be physical (e.g. the road as transportation route) or non-physical (e.g. networks like a computer network). Contents of communication can be for example photography, data, graphics, language, or texts.
Means of communication in the narrower sense refer to technical devices that transmit information. [5] They are the manifestations of contents of communication that can be perceived through the senses and replace the communication that originally ran from person to person and make them reproducible. [6]
Up until the 19th century the term was primarily applied to traffic and couriers and to means of transport and transportation routes, such as railways, roads and canals, [7] but also used to include post riders and stagecoachs. In 1861, the national economist Albert Schäffle defined a means of communication as an aid to the circulation of goods and financial services, which included, among other things, newspapers, telegraphy, mail, courier services, remittance advice, invoices, and bills of lading. [8]
In the period that followed, the "technical means of communication" increasingly came to the foreground, so that as early as 1895 the German newspaper "Deutsches Wochenblatt" reported that these technical means of communication had been improved to such an extent that "everyone all over the world has become our neighbor". [9]
Not until the 20th century was the term medium also a synonym for these technical means of communication. In the 1920s the term mass media started to become more popular.
A distinction can be made between oral, written, screen-oriented transfer of information and document transport: [10]
| verbal transfer of information | written transfer of information | screen-oriented transfer of information | Records transport |
|---|---|---|---|
| speech, mobile phones, telephones | letters, postcards, telex | Bildschirmtext, webcam | couriers |
| intercom | fax | online chat, email, presentation programs, SMS, MMS, teletext | conveyor belt message in a bottle |
| virtual assistant | teletex | remote data transmission | pneumatic tube |
| two-way radio, radiotelephones | computer terminals | satellite radio | carrier pigeon |
In this table means of communication are mentioned that are no longer used today.
Furthermore, a distinction can be made between:
Means of communication in the narrower sense are those of technical communication.
In companies (businesses, agencies, institutions) typical means of communication include documents, such as analyses, business cases, due diligence reviews, financial analyses, forms, business models, feasibility studies, scientific publications, and contracts.
The means of natural communication or the "primary medias" (see Media studies) include:
Means of communication are often differentiated in models of communication:
Media as a means of communication in the future will be distinguished:
Mass media refers to reaching many recipients from one – or less than one – sender simultaneously or nearly simultaneously.
Due to their wide dissemination, mass media are suitable for providing the majority of the population with the same information.
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Communication is usually understood to be the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not only transmits meaning but also creates it. Models of communication are simplified overviews of its main components and their interactions. Many models include the idea that a source uses a coding system to express information in the form of a message. The message is sent through a channel to a receiver who has to decode it to understand it. The main field of inquiry investigating communication is called communication studies.
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The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to communication:
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Models of communication are simplified representations of the process of communication. Most models try to describe both verbal and non-verbal communication and often understand it as an exchange of messages. Their function is to give a compact overview of the complex process of communication. This helps researchers formulate hypotheses, apply communication-related concepts to real-world cases, and test predictions. Despite their usefulness, many models are criticized based on the claim that they are too simple because they leave out essential aspects. The components and their interactions are usually presented in the form of a diagram. Some basic components and interactions reappear in many of the models. They include the idea that a sender encodes information in the form of a message and sends it to a receiver through a channel. The receiver needs to decode the message to understand the initial idea and provides some form of feedback. In both cases, noise may interfere and distort the message.
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