WILBUR SCHRAMM: BIOGRAPHY AND COMMUNICATION MODEL - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Wilbur Schramm was one of the pioneers in communication studies around the world. He was born in the State of Ohio, United States, in 1907 and developed a complete theoretical study on the subject. His professional life revolved around teaching, journalism and theoretical research on communication.

In fact, he is considered the creator and great promoter of communication in his country. As part of his work at universities, he influenced the creation of departments to study communication. He was also the founder of the first academic degree on the subject.

His greatest contribution as a communication scientist is the so-called Tuba Model, in which he makes an analysis of the communication process of the mass media.

In another study published together with UNESCO, he established a theory that linked the degree of socio-economic development of a nation with its information technology.

Wilbur Schramm Biography

Wilbur Lang Schramm came to the world in Marietta, Ohio (United States), on August 5, 1907. In his family, of German origin, musicians abounded and he himself studied at the New England Conservatory.

According to his biographers, Wilbur was a bit of a stutterer, which always limited him when it came to speaking in public. In fact, he refused to give the typical speech during his high school graduation ceremony; instead, he gave a little flute concert.

Studies

Schramm worked during the 1920s as a writer and editor for a publication in his hometown. At the same time, he was successfully completing the different stages of his education. Thus, he managed to graduate Summa Cum Laude in History and Political Science in 1929.

He also did a Master on American Civilizations at Harvard University. During her stay in Boston to complete those studies, she took the opportunity to work at the Boston Herald.

After completing his Master's degree, Schramm moved to Iowa. There, in 1932, he received his doctorate in American Literature. He then took a post-doctoral course in Psychology and Sociology that took him another two years.

Professional life

At the end of his studies, Schramm remained at the University of Iowa as a professor of English. Together with Norman Foester he founded there, in 1935, what would become one of the most prestigious workshops for writers in the United States.

World War II slowed her career a bit, but it didn't stop her entirely. In fact, she collaborated with the government in war propaganda as a member of the Office of War Information. This experience helped him to become even more interested in the concept of mass communication as a tool to influence public opinion.

Journalism school

After this hiatus, the communicologist returned to the University in Iowa, this time to fill the position of director of the School of Journalism. He was in office for four years, from 1943 to 1947.

His next destination was another university center, in this case in Illinois, where he was the founder of the Communications Research Institute. He did the same at Stanford in 1955. He stayed at the latter University until 1973.

Last years

Stanford wasn't the last place Schramm worked. At the age of 66, he became the director of the East-West Communications Center at the University of Hawaii.

In the last years of his life he remained active, remaining in those American islands. He died at his home at the age of 80, on December 27, 1987.

Schramm communication model

The main line that Wilbur Schramm followed in his investigations was on the mass media. In fact, all his publications are on communication, the media and journalism.

Not only did he limit himself to elaborating theories, but his teaching vocation led him to dedicate part of his career to dissemination.

The communicator developed several models to explain and analyze interpersonal communication. In these he established the concept of "field of experience", explaining that the greater the shared experience of sender and receivers, the better the communication.

Tuba model

It is, without doubt, Schramm's most recognized contribution to the theory of communication. It is focused on how the communication process develops from the point of view of the mass media

The model proposed by the author is explained in what he called “Schramm's tuba”. In summary, it established that the process began when the issuer collects some concrete events that have occurred.

After that, you have to decode, interpret and finally encode them again in news form so that the final message is distributed to a potential audience.

Upon receiving the news (the message), the recipients have to decode it and proceed to interpret what is being told. Once they have done this, they will discuss it with their environment and, in many cases, establish feedback (response to the issuer).

Within this model, one of the theoretical novelties is the conclusion of how the receiver selects the messages to pay attention to. According to Schramm, the public picks up the ones that will take the least effort to decode them.

In turn, messages that can affect you directly, even if objectively less important than others, have priority.

Effects according to Schramm

Schramm expressed concern about some effects linked to mass communication. For example, he meant that when a sender generates a message, he is able to predict the reaction of the audience. Therefore, he takes it into account when selecting the events to relate.

Preliminary steps for a successful message

The author also left a series of steps that ensure that a message will be received successfully. Among them are some methodological ones, such as that the message should attract the attention of the recipient, but also others that are more subjective.

Among the latter, some can be highlighted, such as that the sender has to take into account the ideology and experiences of his receivers, as well as find a way to awaken needs in them and then suggest how to satisfy them.

Conclusions

Some of the conclusions that are drawn from Schramm's works are, first, that the closer the content of the message is to the values ​​of the receiver, the better the reception will be; and second, that there are effects of communication that are uncontrollable by the issuer, such as the personality of the person receiving it or the norms of their social group.

References

1. Comunicologos.com. Profile - Wilbur Lang Schramm. Obtained from comunicologos.com
2. Portas, Edu. Wilbur Schramm and the importance of communication for social development. Recovered from diffusoribero.com
3. Yun, Hyun Jung. Wilbur Schramm. Retrieved from britannica.com
4. Chaffee, Steven. Contributions of Wilbur Schramm to Mass Communication Research. Recovered from files.eric.ed.gov
5. Lucian W. Wilbur Schramm. The development of communications and the development process. Recovered from infoamerica.org
6. Baena Paz, Guillermina, Montero Olivares, Sergio. Communication Sciences 1. Recovered from books.google.es
7. Businesstopia. Schramm's Model of Communication. Retrieved from businesstopia.net