Cybernetics - mainly specific to our modern technological society. It presents communication as “information processing”. However, ideas of consciousness and emotions are not recognised, which can mean that the languages of distortion, noise and overload are not compatible with the human realities of social discourse.
Rhetorical - the practical art of discourse, appeals to popular ideas and beliefs about communication; however it requires us to believe in collective deliberation and judgment and the power of individuals to shape these.
The semiotic tradition explains the use of languages and other sign systems and tends to see all other sign systems as ‘texts’. The problems of this tradition are the gaps and misunderstanding that take place when presupposing that all communication can be boiled down to textual issues.
Phenomenological - focuses on the experience of otherness or dialogue within the parameters of perception: it seeks to explain what is ‘real’ for the individual as communication takes place. The Embodied Mind is seen as a key factor in the development of authentic human relationships. However, it is hard and practically impossible to measure authentic communication between people.
Socio-psychological - is presented as a “process of expression, interaction and influence,” where behavioural and emotional factors play an essential role. This is the process where people interact and influence each other. Nevertheless, this tradition challenges the personal autonomy of humans and relies on a belief in our ability to understand or have a dialogue with what might be going on in the unconscious mind.
Socio-cultural - looks at communication as a symbolic process that produces and reproduces shared socio-cultural patterns, which means that our everyday communication is based on some common pre-existing cultural and social structures. The problem of this theory, as in semiotic tradition, is that there can be gaps during the communication process based on socio-cultural diversity and socio-cultural change, as well as the fact that it does not fully recognise individual agency.
Critical theory - describes communication as discursive reflection. Critical theory, however, questions the rational validity of all authority, tradition, and conventional belief and can itself be questioned if communication needs to stand outside of this debate
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