Communication Theories in Media, Social Media, and Video Games

Communication

The process of meaning-making through symbols, language, and media.

Humphreys' View on Communication

Communication is not just transmission but also documentation and accounting of everyday life.

Yee's Perspective on Communication in Games

In games, communication extends beyond words into actions, avatars, and rules.

Old Media

Print, radio, TV—centralized, one-to-many.

New Media

Social platforms, video games, streaming—interactive, participatory.

Humphreys on Social Media

Situates social media as part of a long tradition of media accounting.

Yee's View on New Media

New media (games) reshape identity and social interaction.

Remediation Theory

New media refashion old media while adding interactivity.

Shannon-Weaver Model of Communication

Sender → Message → Channel → Receiver.

Shortcomings of Shannon-Weaver Model

Ignores context, identity, and feedback.

Social Media Model of Communication

Many-to-many, participatory, algorithmically mediated.

Humphreys on Social Media's Nature

Social media is archival and performative, shaping identity through metrics and documentation.

Humphreys' Critiques of Social Media

Pressure to self-document, quantified identity, blurred boundaries between public/private.

Cultural Impact of Social Media

Commodification of everyday life.

Effective Social Media Use

Requires awareness of surveillance and commodification.

Strategy for Social Media

Authenticity, transparency, and metrics-driven refinement.

Evaluating Social Media Metrics

Metrics are not neutral—they shape identity and community.

Engagement Rate

Shows not just popularity but how identity is performed and validated.

Yee's Video Game Model of Communication

Games are rule-based communication systems.

Communication in Video Games

Players communicate through avatars, choices, and shared narratives.

Critiques of Video Games

Stereotypes of gamers as antisocial or escapist mirror earlier critiques of other media.

Moral Panic and New Media

Each new medium sparks moral panic before normalization.

Why Study Video Games in Communication

Games reveal how identity, community, and communication evolve in digital spaces.

What is Humphreys' critique of the traditional model of communication?

Linear sender→receiver ignores identity, surveillance, metrics. Social media complicates it.

What is Yee's addition to the traditional model of communication?

Games show communication is rule-based + participatory, not linear.

What is Humphreys' insight into social media communication?

Social media = archival + performative, identity shaped by metrics.

What is Yee's parallel to social media communication?

Games = immersive communication spaces, avatars as identity performances.

What is Humphreys' critique of social media?

Commodifies everyday life, pressures self-documentation, blurs public/private.

What is the impact of social media on individuals and communities according to Humphreys?

Individuals = identity pressure; communities = shifting norms; culture = data commodification.

What are Humphreys' ethical concerns regarding social media?

Metrics + surveillance must be used responsibly.

What is an effective strategy for ethical social media use?

Authenticity, transparency, balance metrics with community impact.

What is Humphreys' view of metrics?

Metrics = identity performance tools, not neutral.

How should metrics be applied according to Humphreys?

Evaluate engagement + reach in context of identity + community validation.

What is Yee's model of communication in games?

Games = rule-based systems; communication via avatars, choices, narratives.

What paradox emerges in Yee's model of communication in games?

Freedom to reinvent identity, but players often conform to real-world norms.

What is Yee's view of critiques of video games?

Critiques (violence, addiction) = moral panics, same as novels, TV, social media.

What pattern does Yee identify in critiques of new media?

New media → panic → normalization.

What is Yee's argument for studying video games?

Games = laboratory for new media. Reveal identity, community, digital economies.

Why is studying video games important for communication?

Games combine text + visuals + audio + rules, showing how communication evolves.