APS Box — Communication Is Not Information Transfer

Communication is often described as the transfer of information from a sender to a receiver.

APS does not reject informational descriptions of communication, but it argues that information transfer alone does not explain why communication matters.

The organisational significance of communication lies in its contribution to coordination.

Signals, signs, gestures, vocalisations, symbols, and languages help organisms organise activity in relation to one another. Through communication, expectations can be stabilised, uncertainty reduced, and coordinated behaviour maintained across time.

Information may be transmitted through communication, but communication itself is best understood as a mechanism of coordination operating within systems of organised persistence.

APS therefore treats communication primarily as a continuity-preserving process rather than merely a channel for information exchange.

Communication matters because it helps organise coordinated activity.