  One can study communications by using Shannon's (1948) mathematical theory of
communication. In social communications, however, the channels are not "fixed",
but themselves subject to change. Communication systems change by communicating
information to related communication systems; co-variation among systems if
repeated over time, can lead to co-evolution. Conditions for stabilization of
higher-order systems are specifiable: segmentation, stratification,
differentiation, reflection, and self-organization can be distinguished in
terms of developmental stages of increasingly complex networks. In addition to
natural and cultural evolution, a condition for the artificial evolution of
communication systems can be specified.
