Maybe this is due to the fact that Shannon's work is quite theoretical. Sure, his work had an immense impact, but it's "behind the curtains", so to say. The point I am trying to make is that Coding is an
enabling technology, i.e., it serves to enable reliable communication, but it's a means towards an end, not an end in itself. A lot of people think communication is about two antennas and something floating around in the air is transmitted between them, and somehow the receiver is able to guess the message that the transmitter sent. Well, the transmitter can do that because of coding schemes, but that's too technical for most people.
Another field which suffers from the same problem is Controls. It's also an enabling technology in the sense that it allows man-made mechanisms and devices to work as desired. Most people think airplanes fly because they have wings, when in fact they fly because they have controls.