Critique of Wiener's Communication and Control Theory
Critique of Wiener’s Communication and Control Theory
Katie Yens
The University of Colorado at Boulder
COMM 3210 – 100
4/4/14
The study of communication is relatively new to humanity. Even though we, as humans, have been communicating with the world around us since the dawn of time, it has only been in the recent decades and centuries that we have started to group theories, ideas, and traditions under the title of Communication. If we break down this broad topic, we find that several traditions of communication have been defined. One of these is the Cybernetic Tradition of Communication. Cybernetic Tradition sees communication as being a linear method of transferring information from one communicator to another. This tradition defines communication problems as interference or glitches in the communication system. Norbert Weiner’s theory regarding communication and control further explains how the qualities of communication allow us to maintain control in society and decrease the amount of entropy that we encounter using a linear system of sensory receptors and feedback.
Explanation of the Theory
Weiner (1954) theorizes that communication is used as a tool to control machinery and society and that when we communicate, we are not essentially different than machines. As humans, we have a tendency to want to maintain organization in society. Using information in order to control and counteract entropy does this: the randomness or disorganization within a system that has a natural way of increasing over time. Weiner (1954) states that we do this in order to maintain the balance of patterns that messages create for us. Humans and machinery detect these patterns through sensory organs and receptors respectively. When these sensory receptors detect a disturbance in the pattern, feedback is applied to the situation in order to return to homeostasis. Karl Weick (2005) explains the process of using feedback
Katie Yens
The University of Colorado at Boulder
COMM 3210 – 100
4/4/14
The study of communication is relatively new to humanity. Even though we, as humans, have been communicating with the world around us since the dawn of time, it has only been in the recent decades and centuries that we have started to group theories, ideas, and traditions under the title of Communication. If we break down this broad topic, we find that several traditions of communication have been defined. One of these is the Cybernetic Tradition of Communication. Cybernetic Tradition sees communication as being a linear method of transferring information from one communicator to another. This tradition defines communication problems as interference or glitches in the communication system. Norbert Weiner’s theory regarding communication and control further explains how the qualities of communication allow us to maintain control in society and decrease the amount of entropy that we encounter using a linear system of sensory receptors and feedback.
Explanation of the Theory
Weiner (1954) theorizes that communication is used as a tool to control machinery and society and that when we communicate, we are not essentially different than machines. As humans, we have a tendency to want to maintain organization in society. Using information in order to control and counteract entropy does this: the randomness or disorganization within a system that has a natural way of increasing over time. Weiner (1954) states that we do this in order to maintain the balance of patterns that messages create for us. Humans and machinery detect these patterns through sensory organs and receptors respectively. When these sensory receptors detect a disturbance in the pattern, feedback is applied to the situation in order to return to homeostasis. Karl Weick (2005) explains the process of using feedback
References: Pierce, C.S. (1998). What is a sign? In Pierce Editions Project (Ed.), The Essential Pierce: Selected Philosophical Writings, Volume 2 (1893-1913)(pp. 4-10). Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press Weick, K.E., Sutcliffe, K.M., Obstfeld, D. (2005). Organizing and the process of sensemaking. Organization Science, 16(4): 409-421. Retrieved on April 4, 2014 from dubsonline.informs.org. Wiener, N.(1954). Cybernetics in history. The Human Use of Human Beings, Cybernetics and Society (pp.15-27). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.