The theory of social exchange is about the transference of resources that depend on trust and goodwill. The basis of it is one that originated from the post-positivist theory of understanding our world through a quantitative lens, with the recognition of humanistic influences on these empirical results. After the development of certain theories by both psychologists and social psychologists, this theory emerged to encompass the qualities of these different theories while including the previously aforementioned basis at its core. The goal of this was to address the bigger issue at large of understanding that transference and how this applies to relationships in a way that is explained with the values of costs and benefits. As a whole, it argues the existence of an economic approach to social relationships using those empirical results and the assumptions that humans are logical and motivated by self-interest. The part of the communication model that this focuses most on is decoding messages under the context provided by this theory and the undercurrent meaning influenced by the relationship that it provides.

     The theory of uses and gratifications is about, “how people use television, the Internet, and other media to fulfill a variety of needs and gratify their interests and desires,” according to Exploring Communication Theory by Floyd, et. all (2022) (p.328). This theory shifts the attention away from the media itself and focuses it on the details of how and why people consume that media. Of which there are many reasons, such as the biggest two of escapism and excitement. Overall, this theory argues that media can and should be looked at in social and cultural contexts from the users’ point of view. The part of the communication model that this focuses most on is the sender, regarding how they might decode a message through the understanding of their needs and how they fulfill them under the lens of the theory.

    This Social Support Theory is concerned with the interaction between health outcomes, the receipt of aid or comfort, and actions or information that leads individuals to feel supported. It argues that subjects like enacted and perceived support contribute significantly to the state of health and well-being of a person. Daena Goldsmith and Terrance Albrecht created the theory to explain the idea that what we say, how we say it, and when we say it, all affect the advice’s ability to be perceived as criticism versus support. The part of the communication model that this theory most relates to would be the aspect of noise as it can frame how certain information is viewed and then interpreted en route to the communicator.