How do strange creatures speak?

While checking some data and looking for patterns it occurred to me that I have become entrenched in my own anthropomorphism. It is assumed that data comes as a series in time since this is how we deal with it. Like 256 pixels wide and 256 pixels high sent as a stream that is partitioned on lines and frames. It seems to me that an adavanced race would not use this method for many reasons. Information that is related in transmission to its solid angle is better.
The result is that data can be coming from advanced cultures that begin by communicating in 2D and as such would never see or understand our serial communications. It does seems more reasonable to transmit in a 2D matrix as it removes the ambiguity of the line and frame relationships. It also seems more natural. It is then possible to focus in on areas that are of interest and ignore that which is already known. It is more like a drive-in movie. Why would a culture in some far distant galaxy assume that the universe would all decide on RS232 serial, 110 baud, 8 bit, no parity, 1 stop protocol or any other serial protocol. If I am transmitting a wave that expands in a 2D surface, how difficult is it to make that surface the information? Since I am generating the power to push in all directions, it seems that it would be sensible to create an easily decoded message.
So it is possible that we are getting information, and this only one example of assumptions, and we are simply not creative enough to see it. If I were communicating with an intelligent species, the best way to have a common experience is to show a movie of how two things relate. I could even imagine that it would be better to send a solid angle image that turned through 360 degrees and thus gives the 3D of a specific example. It would certainly be an easier way to deal with universal translation.
Perhaps we are just not creative enough to decode the elephant sitting in the easy chair.
Consider this protocol: I transmit a different piece of information on every time period for every solid angle. The bits are rotated through two transforms in X:Y and X:Z so that all information is related in space and as a result it is a serial protocol that is parallel and for receivers that are near, it allows higher data rates and for receivers far away it degrades to serial. I think I am liking this protocol more and more as I investigate it. If a laser is used, then the scope of the message can be set to the intended receivers. It seems like holographic communication system that could be used by creatures that had no common physicality. I just thought of something as a result of this and now I need to look back at some old data I collected, as something jumped out at me, but I couldn't put my finger on what kind of pattern it was.