Abraham Moles: Biography and Communication Model

Abraham Moles He was a French electrical and acoustic engineer, as well as a PhD in Physics and Philosophy. He is most recognized for the contributions he made to the field of communication, relating his areas of expertise to generate unique concepts in the field of radio and television.

Moles is considered one of the most important theorists of communication. Theorized about the importance of symbols, sounds and signs in communication, beyond messages. Therefore, he also gave great importance to the role that designers play in communication.

He also stood out for having been one of the first researchers to generate a clear link between art (the visual) and information theory. In addition, he devoted a large part of his professional life to teaching sociology and psychology at several of the most prestigious universities in the world.

Index

  • 1 Biography
    • 1.1 Radio and television
    • 1.2 Works and last days
  • 2 Communication model
    • 2.1 Approach
    • 2.2 Short-term cycle
    • 2.3 Long-term cycle
  • 3 References

Biography

Abraham André Moles was born in Paris, in 1920. He had a childhood like that of any average child, studying primary and secondary education without any novelty.

His first professional degree was as an electrical and sound engineer. Then, at the University of Grenoble, he prepared to obtain a professional degree in Natural Sciences. There he was appointed assistant to the university physics laboratory.

During his stay as an assistant he developed expertise in techniques related to metal, as well as electricity and related tools. He experimented with various materials, wrote reports of his research and analyzed the results.

In 1947, after the Second World War, he was hired by two important institutes in France: the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS for its acronym in French), an institute specializing in the study of acoustics and vibrations located in Marseille; and the Maritime Research Institute of France.

During the course of his professional contracts he decided to study several sociological courses that were dictated at the university where he worked, as well as at Aixa and Sorbona.

In 1952 he presented his first PhD thesis, which was based on the study of musical signals and their relationship with phonetics. In 1954 he presented his second doctoral work, called The scientific creation , with which he obtained a specialty in Philosophy.

Radio and television

Moles actively participated in the Radio and Television Studies Center while studying to obtain her two doctorates in France. The Rockefeller Foundation awarded him two scholarships for lack of money, which allowed him to work in the music department of Columbia University.

After presenting his second doctorate in 1954, he moved to Switzerland to direct the Electroacoustic Laboratory, the first position as director he had in his professional life. There he had the opportunity to work with Hermann Scherchen, an important German musician responsible for discovering various figures of the time.

Meanwhile, Moles also served as a professor at the University of Stuttgart in Germany. He also taught courses at the universities of Berlin and Utrecht (in the Netherlands). His first permanent position as a professor was granted by the University of Ulm in Sweden.

It was in 1966 when he finally moved to Strasbourg, where he also taught university classes in psychology and sociology. In this city he founded the School of Strasbourg, which was recognized as the Institute of Social Psychology in Communication.

The members of this school were all Moles alumni, who now worked in the International Association of Social Communication Psychology.

Works and last days

He wrote his most important works after 1970, among which is the so-called Art et ordinateur , a work in which he presented the theories of Shannon's aesthetics under his own interpretation.

He kept teaching until the end of his life, and became president of the French Cybernetics Society. He died in Strasbourg, on May 22, 1922.

Communication model

Approach

According to the theory of Moles, the mass media play a fundamental role in the role of communication. Their visual, graphic and auditory influence are fundamental sources for the transmission of information to the masses, which makes them the main information tool of today.

Moles defined the communicative process as a social dynamic. In this dynamic, the elementary signs of communication are combined with more complex ones, which are received and interpreted by each person.

His theory not only derives from the traditional statements of Gestalt, but also has strong influences in contemporary theories of psychology.

The Moles communication model is based on the fact that communication is carried out through two main cycles, each with different durations. The first cycle occurs in the short term, while the second occurs in the long term.

Short-term cycle

The short cycle is one that includes direct messages that are transmitted through the mass media. It is determined what information is most relevant to transmit and this is issued using communication specialists who work in said media to distribute it.

The first cycle is entirely linked to the sociocultural field; who observe what happens and determine what information to transmit are called observers. Those who transmit the information are called opinion leaders.

For example, when a new video game is gaining popularity, observers can determine what is relevant to report on this in the media. When transmitted, that information completes the short-term cycle.

Long-term cycle

The long cycle arises from the creation of the idea that then passes to be transmitted to society. That is, after the creation of the product or event, it passes to the micro medium and then be sent to the mass media. There it becomes popular and its existence is made known.

That is, when, for example, a new video game is created, it is originally unknown to the masses. The long process begins from the moment the game is created until its existence is transmitted to the masses.

References

  1. Computational Aesthetics, Azlan Iqbal, (n.d.). Taken from britannica.com
  2. Abraham Moles, Wikipedia en Español, January 30, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org
  3. Abraham Moles, Monoskop Organization, December 3, 2017. Taken from monoskop.org
  4. The philosopher Abraham Moles affirms that"we live under the rule of the signs"and highlights the role of the designer, Juan J. Navarro for El País, October 15, 1987. Taken from elpais.com
  5. Information Theory, Wikipedia en Español, March 29, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org
  6. Music, Gordon Epperson, (n.d.). Taken from britannica.com


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