Lesson 3 - Communication and Globalization

Culture

perceived as the summation of values, beliefs, and behaviors from a group of individuals having a shared history of verbal and nonverbal cues.

Globalization

an interconnectedness of economic relationships and political units, as well as digital networks.

Intercultural Communication

a symbolic activity where the thoughts and ideas of one are encoded into a verbal/ or nonverbal message format, then transmitted through some channel to another person who must decode it, interpret it, and respond to it.

Cultural Noise

filled with encoding, decoding, and interpreting, making culture a smokescreen of all the messages.

Okay Sign

most of the countries indicates this as satisfaction. But Brazil states that if this is turned upside down, it is considered a rude gesture.

Horn Fingers

adopted by rockers as a sign of approval; in other parts of the world, to make this sign at someone is to tell them their wife is cheating on them.

Fingers all together

"What do you want?"; a sign for a small amount of something.

thumbs up

a sign of approval; in other parts of the world, this is seen as an 'up yours'.

crossed fingers

to wish for good luck; in vietnam, this is said to resemble female genitals.

v sign

backwards sign for peace; in other parts, seen as rude and frequently used to signify contempt or defiance towards authority.

come here sign

gesture someone to come over; this is highly offensive in the Philippines as this gesture is reserved for dogs.

Cultural Context

The values, attitudes, beliefs, orientations, and underlying assumptions prevalent among people in a society

Individualism

focuses on individual goals. It also aims to benefit the individual since every person is seen as unique with distinct talents and potential, thereby enabling them to hone their creativity, develop, independence, and confidence. People in these are disconnected from the in-groups such as the family and ironically belong to several groups but their stay is short-lived.

Collectivism

Focus on serving the group.

Horizontal Individualism

speaks of an autonomous self that values the individual more and independence is being highlighted.

Vertical Individualism

values the autonomous self by seeing it as difference and an equal to others; emphasizes status and competition.

Horizontal Collectivism

notes the self as a member of a group sharing the same values and interests. The self is reliant, and equality is expected.

Vertical Collectivism

believes that the self is an integral part of the in-group even if the members are different from the others. It also specifies the group's interdependence and inequality.

Assumption #1 Miscommunication/Message Distortion

When someone says something, the listener might not understand it exactly the same way. The words you send (“relayed”) can be received with a different meaning.

Assumption #2 Nonverbal Communication

Not all communication is through words. Body movements, eye contact, hand gestures, or even silence are powerful forms of communication.

Assumption #3 Communication Style

People don’t just share what they say, but also how they say it. This includes tone, formality, politeness, and whether they speak directly or indirectly.

Assumption #4 Culture is a Group Phenomenon

Culture belongs to groups, not just one person. People learn and share ways of acting, talking, and thinking together.

Assumption #5 Stress-Adaption Cycle

When people enter a new culture, they often feel stress or confusion at first, then slowly adapt, learn, and grow. The process is ongoing and not always smooth—like going in circles of stress and adjustment.