CogInfoCom cues, signals and ritualization for adaptive communication

The merging process occurring between humans and the ICT network surrounding them has led to the emergence of several new paradigms in computing. Cognitive infocommunications (CogInfoCom) aims to investigate how cognitive processes can co-evolve with infocommunications devices, irrespective of whether those processes are entirely natural, entirely artificial, or a combination of the two. An important question in CogInfoCom is how communication signals can emerge and evolve naturally between various natural/artificial systems. In this paper, it is argued that the development of new technologies capable of adapting in their communication with users can be informed by research on animal communication. To elaborate this view, the ethological concepts of cues, signals and ritualization are adapted to CogInfoCom. The technological interpretations of these concepts are discussed in terms of design strategies and application examples.