There's a universal rule that applies to humanity, society, and all forms of organisms: Change. New conditions lead to new needs; new needs pave the way for new opportunities. All these elements are in constant interaction, enabling the construction of new habits. Elements of communication, too, have been an evolving field since the dawn of human history, changing, diversifying, and advancing. From ancient inscriptions and hieroglyphs to literature, newspapers, radio, social media, and now the use of artificial intelligence, these are just a few of those elements. Indeed, today we have no intention of presenting the story dating back to Homo Habilis (a species dating back to 2.8 million years ago).
In this series of articles, we aim to shed light on the evolution of fan engagement, clarify the new conditions and needs, bring together the meanings of communication tools from a scientific perspective, and assist sports clubs in determining fan engagement strategies that align with the demands of today's world.
I. ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
In 1948, a mathematician (Shannon) and an electronic engineer (Weaver) came together to formulate the mathematical model of communication. The Shannon-Weaver communication model aimed to elucidate the elements of communication by using an example based on the telephone model, which we now only encounter in antique shops. This model, one of the important precursor works in the field of Communication Science, was derived from adapting the process of data flow between machines to human communication. According to this model, the communication process between a sender and a receiver consists of several fundamental elements such as source, encoder, channel, decoder, destination, and noise. Let's illustrate this process with an example, from theory to practice, from the bench to the playing field:
Source: The source of the message to be conveyed and the decision-maker of the message. / commentator, cameraman
Encoder: Enables the transformation of the message. / camera, microphone, satellite signals
Channel: The infrastructure or environment that enables the transmission of the transformed message. / live broadcast infrastructure, satellite frequency
Decoder: Facilitates the interpretation and transmission of the transformed message. / satellite, television
Destination: The person to whom the message is intended. / football fan
Noise: The element that causes distortions in the message during the process between the encoder, channel, and decoder. / flickering on the television screen
Are there any points where this model falls short or becomes outdated due to new conditions over time?
Although the Shannon-Weaver model is effective in interpersonal communication processes, it falls short in explaining mass communication processes.
In its presented sender-receiver model, while the sender plays the main role, the receiver assumes a more passive role, and it is inadequate in explaining the concept of "interaction," which is particularly prominent with the use of social media nowadays.
It assumes that the message is entirely under the control of the sender and is not affected by the technical and perceptual limitations of other elements of communication.
Drawing definitive conclusions with causality, proposing theories that will be valid at all times, and identifying all variables in the social sciences are not always possible. Each of the different approaches focusing on the same subject can fill different functional gaps. Success in football, on the other hand, is about how you utilize the spaces on the field and how you take measures against those spaces. This is precisely where social sciences resemble football.
In the second part of our blog, we will shed light on the evolution of communication channels and begin to explain what professional sports management refers to as fan engagement in the football industry.
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