PurCom

LOCAL COMMUNICATION

• Personal

• Direct

• Identity

• History

• Culture

When you translated that same slogan into English, did it still hit the same way or did something feel different?

GLOBAL COMMUNICATION

Formal        →      Reach More

Distant        →    People

CULTURE

Culture is a learned system of meanings that fosters identity and community. (Ting- Toomey & Takai, 2006).

Culture is a set of shared beliefs, norms, values, and symbols that guide behavior. (Oetzel, 2009).

Culture as Overlapping Group

• National Group

• Gender Group

• Ethnic Group

• Age/Generation Group

• Religious Group

According to Oetzel (2009), we are simultaneously members of multiple cultural groups, such as a national culture, ethnic culture, religious culture, gender culture, media culture, social class culture, generation culture, which overlap to varying degrees.

MULTICULTURALISM

• The coexistence of diverse cultural groups within a society.

• Recognition and respect for different cultures without necessarily engaging deeply with them.

Communication & Culture

Communication is the transfer of meaning. 

Culture shapes how meaning is created and understood.

THE CULTURAL ICEBERG

Visible Culture

Invisible Culture

• 10% of the iceberg is visible at any given time and that a large part of it is hidden beneath the surface. Culture has components that are external facing or above the surface and visible, and the majority of culture, about 90%, is hidden below the surface.

LOCAL COMMUNICATION

• “Local communication is the exchange of messages within a community using familiar language and context.”

• “It is communication confined within a specific geographical or cultural boundary.”

GLOBAL COMMUNICATION

• “Global communication is the exchange of ideas across geographic, political, and cultural borders.”

• “It studies how people connect internationally through media and institutions.”

(3) BARRIERS TO LOCAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATION IN MULTICULTURAL SETTINGS

1. MISINTERPRETATION

2. TRANSLATION ISSUES

3. MEDIA BIAS

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

• Intercultural communication is the exchange of messages between people of different cultural backgrounds.

• It seeks to understand how people from diverse

groups perceive and interpret messages. (Gudykunst,

2003)

(4) INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

1. Language differences

2. Medium (face-to-face or online)

3. Personality barrier

4. Cultural Interpretation

MULTICULTURAL

• The presence of multiple ethnic groups and cultural traditions in one society.

Acknowledges diversity and allows different cultures to coexist within their own frameworks.

CROSSCULTURAL

• The comparison of different cultures, or interactions between individuals from significantly different cultural and social backgrounds.

Studying and understanding differences in cultural norms and values by seeking out information about other cultures.

INTERCULTURAL

• Relates to the interaction and deep understanding that occurs between members of two or more different cultures.

Building bridges, fostering dialogue, and celebrating the dynamic interplay of cultures to achieve effective

communication and build positive relationships.

REACTIONS TO CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

ASSIMILATION

ACCOMODATION

SEPARATION

ASSIMILATION

 ASSIMILATION is the effort to eliminate the cultural differences towards home and host cultures.

• An assimilation is adopting the dominant culture while discarding one’s own.

• It reduces cultural differences in favor of blending in.

ACCOMODATION

• ACCOMODATION attempts to retain some cultural uniqueness and to transform the existing dominant structures so that there is less hierarchy.

• Accommodation occurs when a person or group adapts to the dominant culture while still keeping

their own culture.

SEPARATION

• SEPARATION rejects the dominant society and organizations, and individuals attempt to join similar co- cultural group members to form organizations that are reflective of their own values and norms.

• A choice to reject the dominant culture's influence and instead maintain strong ties to one's own cultural group, often by forming independent co-cultural organizations or communities.

Example: Many Filipinos continued native languages and rituals, resisting American influence.

ETHNOCENTRIC

“Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s culture is superior.”

“It judges other cultures by one’s own standards.”

Age

is a person's perceived or actual position in life. It shapes how they are seen and how they interact with others

• Age influences:

1. Language

2. Topics of conversation

3. Gestures

Generation/Age

Each generation develops its own vocabulary (slang) and its own way of consuming and sharing media.

(6) Generational Overview

1. Silent Generation (Traditionalists)

2. Baby Boomers

3. Generation X

4. Millennials (Gen Y)

5. Generation Z

6. Generation Alpha

Silent Generation (Traditionalists)

Born: 1928–1945 | Age in 2026: 81–98

Traits: Disciplined, Value hard work, and Respect

authority

Defining events: World War II and the Japanese

occupation, Independence (1946)

How they communicate?

• Language: Polite and formal (po, opo, ho)

• Values: Respect, discipline, duty, faith

• Technology: Radio, newspapers, letters,landlines

• Context: Face-to-face or phone calls; greetings first (mano)

Expressions:

• Susmaryosep! = shock or surprise

• Naku po! = oh my!

• Aba! = well! / oh!

• Diyos ko po! = my God!

• Hay, buhay! = a sigh about life

Baby Boomers

Born: 1946–1964 | Age in 2026: 62–80

Traits: Optimistic, Competitive, Value stability

Defining events: Post-war rebuilding, 1960s–70s

youth culture, Martial Law (1972)

How they communicate?

• Language: Polite with elders, relaxed with friends; loved scrambled-word slang

• Values: Stability, loyalty, hard work

• Technology: Radio, TV, newspapers; learned mobile phones as adults

• Context: Prefer phone calls and in-person talk for important matters

Slangs:

• Jeproks = cool, laid-back kid or hippie type

• Repapips = buddy (scrambled "pare")

• Yosi = cigarette

• Japorms = overdressed

• Bomalabs = unclear or unlikely (scrambled "malabo")

• Groovy / Far out = great

Generation X

Born: 1965–1980 | Age in 2026: 46–61

Traits: Independent, Adaptable, Resourceful

Nicknames: "Middle child" and "latchkey"

generation

Defining events: EDSA People Power (1986),

Cable TV, Early computers

How they communicate?

• Language: Direct and practical; Taglish; reversed words

• Values: Independence, self-reliance, diskarte

• Technology: TV, radio, cassettes; then computers and texting

• Context: The "bridge" between older and younger generations

Slang:

• Astig = cool, tough, impressive

• Bagets = teenagers

• Erpat / Ermat = Dad / Mom

• Tsikot = car

• Diskarte = resourcefulness

• Tomguts = hungry (scrambled "gutom")

Millennials (Gen Y)

Born: 1981–1996 | Age in 2026: 30–45

Traits: Tech-savvy, Value work-life balance, Socially aware

Defining events: Internet boom, 9/11, Text-messaging craze

How they communicate?

• Language: Taglish, texting shorthand, jejemon spelling, hugot lines

• Values: Work-life balance, authenticity, experiences

• Technology: Text messages, Facebook, YouTube, blogs, memes

• Context: Comfortable in both casual online talk and professional email

Slang:

• Sosyal = fancy, high-class

• Grabe! = wow! / too much!

• Jeje = 2000s texting style

• Sepanx = separation anxiety; missing someone

• Hugot = deep, emotional lines

• Adulting = handling grown-up duties

• YOLO = you only live once

Generation Z

Born: 1997–2012 | Age in 2026: 14–29

Traits: Digital natives, Socially conscious, Entrepreneurial

Defining events: Smartphones and social media, COVID-19 lockdowns

How they communicate?

• Language: Filipino–English–slang mix; humor and irony; emojis and GIFs

• Values: Diversity, inclusivity, authenticity

• Technology: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Discord, group chats

• Context: Reactions, memes, hashtags, voice notes

Slang:

• Sana all = "I wish everyone had that“

• Charot / Chariz = just kidding

• Dasurv = deserve; "you earned it“

• Arat / Gora = let's go

• Werpa = power; cheering someone on

• Lodi = idol

• No cap = no lie, for real

• Slay = doing something impressively

Generation Alpha

Born: 2013–2025 | Age in 2026: 1–13

Traits: Most tech-immersed, Globally connected, Still developing

Growing up with: Tablets, YouTube, Streaming, AI

How they communicate?

• Language: Slang from YouTube, games, and memes; meanings shift with tone

• Values: Belonging to friend groups and online communities

• Technology: YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Roblox, Minecraft

• Context: Group chats and game chats; adults may not get the references

Slang:

• Skibidi = weird, or nonsense, depending on tone

• Aura = your cool factor

• Brain rot = low-value, repetitive online content

• 6-7 = call-and-response meme with no fixed meaning