The Evolution of Communication Systems
Loet Leydesdorff, The Evolution of Communication Systems, Int. J. Systems Research and Information Science 6 (1994) 219-230
19 Pages Posted: 21 Mar 2013
Date Written: March 21, 1994
Abstract
One can study communications by using Shannon's (1948) mathematical theory of communication. In social communications, however, the channels are not "fixed", but themselves subject to change. Communication systems change by communicating information to related communication systems; co-variation among systems if repeated over time, can lead to co-evolution. Conditions for stabilization of higher-order systems are specifiable: segmentation, stratification, differentiation, reflection, and self-organization can be distinguished in terms of developmental stages of increasingly complex networks. In addition to natural and cultural evolution, a condition for the artificial evolution of communication systems can be specified.
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