Digital communication does not operate on a single level. It unfolds across layered structures that shape meaning.
This framework identifies four layers:
1. Platform Layer
The technological infrastructure (social media, websites, apps).
2. Visibility Layer
What algorithms prioritize or suppress.
3. Narrative Layer
How messages are framed, interpreted, and circulated.
4. Relational Layer
How communication affects trust, identity, and community.
Why it matters
Miscommunication often occurs when institutions operate only at the platform layer, ignoring narrative and relational consequences.
Effective communication requires awareness across all four layers.