Two Models of Communication

Although communication is often taken for granted in society, it is important to realize the importance of the messages we are sending and receiving. In order to do this, two models of communication have been identified.

The first model of communication, which is also the more prevalent of the two in today's society, is the Transmission Model. The basis of this model derived from the idea that communication is closely related to transportation, such that communication is the process of moving messages from a sender to a receiver, by ways of a medium. This model is based on the fact that communication has to be accurate and operates like interpersonal communication. When I want to communicate to someone, I want to make sure that the person receiving my message is hearing it and taking it in the same as I am communicating it. Messages that are not received correctly could severely change the context of a conversation.

The second model of communication is the Cultural Model. This model is less well known, but revolves around the fact that communication is a balance between your individual needs and fitting into a specific culture. If everyone in the world understood and related to the same culture, there would be no room for learning anything new. On the other hand, if culture were based solely on individual needs, people would not be able to relate to one another under a common understanding. It's this balance that makes the Cultural Model successful.

When contrasting the two, in simple terms, the Transmission Model is based on how messages are being communicated from sender to receiver. The Cultural Model, however, looks at how these messages relate to the overall culture and how the ideas are shared from the overall values Americans have.