Definition & Example
Core & Intention
Emotional Information
Social Information
Cognitive Information
Linguistic Information
Core & Intention
Definition
The core of every message is defined by its Content, which represents the subject matter or topic being communicated, and its Intention, which reflects the purpose of the message and the desired outcome or impact on the receiver.
Example
Joseph Beuys’ installation “Die Fettecke” (The Fat Corner) was simply a corner filled with animal fat. Beuys intended to provoke thought, challenge conventional art norms, and evoke a visceral reaction, pushing viewers to confront mortality and impermanence.
Emotional Information
Definition
Emotional Information governs the emotional value and affective significance of a message. It determines how strongly the sender feels about the meaning being expressed and encompasses the overall mood or atmosphere of the interaction; as well as conscious feelings that both the sender and receiver can recognize; and subconscious emotions, which subtly influence reactions and interactions without explicit awareness.
Example
The rancid fat evokes disgust and discomfort, while subconsciously tapping into primal anxieties about decay and death, reflecting Beuys' own (possibly fabricated) trauma.
Social Information
Definition
Social Information evaluates the contextual relevance of communication, ensuring appropriateness and timing within specific social, situational, or environmental contexts. It includes an assessment of the relationship dynamics between sender and receiver, such as trust or familiarity, alongside mentalizing anticipation—the ability to predict how the receiver will interpret or respond to the message. Social Information also accounts for external factors like cultural influences, situational norms, and environmental conditions that shape communication dynamics.
Example
The installation within an art academy challenges the established norms of art spaces, deliberately disrupting expectations and anticipating a strong (though not necessarily positive) reaction from the academic community.
Cognitive Information
Definition
Cognitive Information draws upon mental resources to retrieve and incorporate knowledge, memory, imagination, and experiences into communication. It involves conceptual chunking—the organization of complex ideas into manageable units—and integrates facts, insights, thoughts, and personal experiences, and creative imagination to enrich the message. This layer provides an intellectual framework for constructing meaning and reasoning within communication. like cultural influences, situational norms, and environmental conditions that shape communication dynamics.
Example
The Fat Corner exemplified the intellectual approach by integrating Beuys’ (potentially mythologized) personal history and broader philosophical discourse of materiality and transformation.
Linguistic Information
Definition
Linguistic Information are responsible for language comprehension and language production for structured verbal or written expression. It refers to translating ideas into internal speech by assigning appropriate words to concepts and structuring phrasing with clarity. Linguistic information includes deliberate choices in language, vocabulary, rhetorical devices, grammar, syntax, and honorifics to align with both content and intention.
Example
Beuys' deliberate and simple naming of "Fettecke" ("Fat Corner") juxtaposed everyday language with conceptual depth, democratizing art by making it both accessible and thought-provoking.
