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Information Theory

By: Thomas Sutherland
In: The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society
Edited by: Debra L. Merskin
Subject:General Media, Communication & Cultural Studies, Media & Society, Mass Communication
Keywords:information theory

Information theory, initially formulated as part of the study of electrical engineering, has exerted a wide influence over subsequent understandings of media, communications, and philosophy (as well as many areas of science). It seeks to understand information in quantified terms, in order to determine a medium’s ability to transmit data accurately. This entry provides an overview of information theory and then explores its development and contemporary relevance.

Overview

Information theory is founded upon the mathematical model of communication (also known as the Shannon-Weaver model, named for the two[Page 801] authors first responsible for its articulation) which attempts to conceptualize the nature of human communication in generally applicable terms. This model conceives of communication as any procedure whereby one mind affects another (or, in an even broader possible ...

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  Sutherland, T. (2020). Information theory. In D. Merskin (Ed.), The SAGE international encyclopedia of mass media and society (Vol. 1, pp. 801-803). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781483375519.n313
  
  Sutherland, Thomas. "Information Theory." In The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society, edited by Merskin, Debra L., 801-3. Thousand Oaks,, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483375519.n313.
  
  Sutherland, T. 2020. Information Theory. In: Debra L. Merskin Editor, 2020. The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society, Thousand Oaks,, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. pp. 801-803 Available at: <http://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781483375519.n313> [Accessed 11 May 2021].
  
  Sutherland, Thomas. "Information Theory." The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society. Edited by Debra L. Merskin. Vol. 1. Thousand Oaks,: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2020, pp. 801-3. SAGE Knowledge. 11 May 2021, doi: http://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781483375519.n313.
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