The convergence model of communication

Abstract

This paper develops a general model of the communication process based upon the principle of convergence as derived from basic information theory and cybernetics. The author is critical of the linear, one-way models of communication which have dominated past research. The hidden biases of these models, especially toward individual psychology and mechanistic explanation, are identified. The advantages of cybernetic explanation are discussed in that context. Finally, the definition of information and meaning leads to a paradigm that presents communication as a cyclical process of convergence and divergence over time.