Communication, according to the Shannon weaver model , can best be identified as a message traveling from sender to receiver with a pathway connecting the two [i]; A process of connecting two ends by means of transmission. I say it is a process because this model suggests that it is never guaranteed that communication will be made complete. A message may be intercepted or misinterpreted and interrupted and therefore may be unsuccessful. Perhaps it could best be said that this model suggests that communication can always be initiated but may not be completed.
An interesting dynamic comes into play, however, when discussing cyber space and cyber communication. What may be viewed as incomplete communication outside of the cyber realm may constitute as adequate communication in the cyber space as the sender and receiver roles become less distinguished and the identification of a complete communication pattern becomes less clear. As Fischer writes, “the roles of sender and of receiver merge; and the former audience becomes active and connects to a network”[ii]. This merge erodes the unidirectional flow represented in the Shannon Weaver Model, and creates a form of communication that defines itself within a specific realm, namely, cyber space. McLuhan supports this idea as Hardt identifies him as observing how “every medium shapes and controls the conditions of human association and action”[iii] The medium of cyber space shapes human association into a human web (hence, world wide web)with no clear beginning, no clear end and no clear path of travel. The realm of cyber space then, allows for a discourse that is multidirectional and role-flexible.
[i] Shannon, C. (1948, October). A mathematical theory of communication. The bell system technical journal, 27, 2. Retrieved February 13, 2011, from http://plan9.bell-labs.com/cm/ms/what/shannonday/shannon1948.pdf
[ii] Fischer, Annemarie. KeyNote: What is communication. Global Media Narratives in the Digital Age, Spring 2011 CourseBlog, Annemarie Fischer. 27 January 2011.. [February 13, 2011] Web.
[iii] Hardt, H. (2004). Myths for the masses: an essay on mass communication., 9.
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