This post is the result of a sleepness night and an idea that seemed clarifying in the moment but is maybe only half-baked. Still, it’s a start of an idea that I think may be worth exploring further. I’ve sketched the basics here and reserve the right to revise and expand upon it in the future.
Modern telecommunications is based on layered communication models, formalized in the 1970’s as the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model and simplified somewhat in the Internet Protocol Suite. They use multi-layer protocol stacks to facilitate data transfer. To successfully communicate from one machine to another, information has to traverse some or all layers of the model, including physical, data link, network, transport and application layers. Without delving into the detailed mechanics of these protocol stacks, allow me to use these communication models as analogs to human communications and interactions.
Humans (and other entities, for that matter) communicate thoughts and ideas through implicit protocol stacks. I’ve never seen this idea formalized though I’m sure there’s some branch of academia that has tackled it (found it, maybe: anthroposemiotics). For the sake of discussion, let’s identify the layers as physical, transactional, linguistic, intellectual, cultural, emotional/spiritual.
Physical. Communication begins with a physical connection through at least one of the five human senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell or taste. There’s no communication if you don’t engage at least one of these senses, otherwise you’re just living in your own mind…or maybe dreaming.
Transactional. Humans and other animals can actually communicate, transmit meaning and build relationships on a physical and transactional level without necessarily using the other layers of communication. In fact, one could posit that the entire animal kingdom operates at this level, as well as many tourists in foreign lands.
Linguistic. More complex information is conveyed through oral or written languages or symbology, but only if entities share the same language. Languages can be slippery, imprecise conveyors of precise meaning but they are the best method humans have developed for communicating thoughts.
Intellectual. Understanding the idea being sent in a basic linguistic transmission. “Do you hear me?” and “Do you understand me?” are two different questions.
Cultural. Intellectual understanding is framed and supported by the culture of each individual. At the same time, cultures are built and informed by the communication of common ideas between individuals.
Emotional/Spiritual. Beyond the layers of intellectual and cultural understanding, humans have an emotional response to ideas. Some ideas resonate and speak to a deeper sense of self; they can resonate into your heart and soul even if you don’t intellectually “understand” those concepts. Connecting humans at an emotional/spiritual level is the most powerful, rewarding and potentially dangerous level. Music has a mysterious way of sometimes reaching across layers and touching an emotional/spiritual place more readily than any other mode of communication. Politicians and crowds have a nasty way of manipulating this level of communication.
It strikes me that this model of layered communication is helpful in navigating the world. Sometimes I’m quite happy with a lower level of communication but at other times I strive to reach a deeper intellectual, cultural or emotional level of understanding and sharing of ideas with other people. Perhaps if other people share or understand this model it would make communication a little more efficient – there could perhaps be a mutual signal that we want to communicate at one or another level. It’s a thought.