COMMUNICATION AND GLOBALIZATION
GEC 105 l PRELIM
GLOBALIZATION BY ALEX GRAY (2017)
● It is the process by which people and
goods move easily across borders.
● It is a process of interaction and
integration among people, companies,
and government of different nations
GLOBALIZATION DRIVERS
➔ Colonization
➔ Technology
➔ Diaspora
HOW DOES GLOBALIZATION AFFECT
COMMUNICATION
● With globalization, a need for a common
language to achieve international
intelligibility is germane.
● Patterns of interactions (greetings,
gestures, business dealings, etc.) may
not essentially be universalized.
● Nationalities, ethnic groups, religious
communities, etc, will still maintain their
unique ways of communication
expressions unless they agree to
replace them.
IMPACT OF COMMUNICATION ON SOCIETY
AND THE WORLD
➔ Connectivity
➔ Convergence
➔ Interactivity
Cultural Characteristics That Shape
Communication
● Culture- learned system of meanings
that fosters a particular sense of shared
identity- hood and community- hood
among its group members (TingToomey & Takai, 2006)\
● According to Oetzel (2009), we are
simultaneously members of multiple
cultural groups, such as national culture,
ethnic culture, religious culture, gender
culture, media culture, social class
culture, generation culture, which
overlap to varying degrees.
● “In any culture, there are certain sets of
behavior that are expected and
acceptable; there are also those that are
considered disrespectful, demeaning,
and, therefore, deemed unacceptable
based on cultural norms and practices.”
MULTICULTURAL MANNERS (DRESSER,
1996)
When greeting…
○ People from India, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, and Thailand hold
their hands together in front of
their chins in a prayerlike position
and nod their heads.
○ Most Latinos expect body
contact. Hugging and kissing on
the cheek are acceptable for both
the same and opposite sex.
○ Most people from France, Spain,
Italy, Portugal and other
Mediterranean countries expect
to be kissed on both cheeks.
○ Most Middle Easterners, esp.
Muslims, avoid body contact with
the opposite sex but men may
embrace and kiss one another.
Women may do the same.
○ Most Armenians, expect some
body contact. Women kiss once
on each cheek and hug; men
shake hands. Men also hug and
kiss on the cheek if they are
close friends.
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COMMUNICATION AND GLOBALIZATION
GEC 105 l PRELIM
○ Muslims, esp. older ones, make
the salaam greeting by using the
right hand to touch the heart and
move the hand upward to touch
the forehead. They may say
“Salaam alaykum” (Peace be with
you!)
○ In Albania, shaking the head from
side to side means “yes” and
nodding the head up and down
means “no”.
○ Avoid body contact with
Japanese people.
○ In Afghan culture, thumbs up sign
has the same sexual connotation
as the American middle- finger
gesture
○ Avoid wishing “Happy Birthday”
or “Merry Christmas” to
Jehovah’s Witnesses.
○ Some Asian cultures consider it
rude to say no and will go to
extremes to avoid doing so.
CULTURAL PRACTICE OR BODILY GESTURE
PHILIPPINES
OTHER COUNTRY
Thumbs up (approval)
Thumbs up (offensive)
Making a circle with
one’s thumb and
forefinger (okay)
Making a circle with
one’s thumb and
forefinger (sign for
money-Japan;
threat-Arabs)
Curling the index finger
with the palm facing up
(offensive)
Curling the index finger
with the palm facing up
(come closer- US)
Dog call- curl your
finger (offensive)
Dog call- curl your
finger (death-SG; rude
Japan)
CLENCHED FIST
● Philippines (physical violence)
● UK & Australia (“keep the faith”)
HORN
● US (approval)
● Italy, Spain, Portugal, Brazil (wife is
cheating on them)
FINGERS ALL TOGETHER
● Italy (What do you want?)
● Turkey (something is beautiful or well
done)
SLURPING
● Western countries (unsophistication)
● Japan & China (good manners- enjoy
your meal)
BEHAVIORS TO AVOID (BALBALOSA, 2016)
➔ Smiling at Strangers
◆ Russia (intimate gesture)
➔ Tipping
◆ Japan and South Korea (highly
discouraged)
➔ Showing soles of feet
◆ Arab & other Muslim
(disrespectful)
➔ Loud, Open- mouthed laughing
◆ Japan (impolite)
➔ Putting hand on someone’s head
(mano)
◆ China, Thailand, Japan and
Myanmar (invasive)
CULTURE GUIDES IN COMMUNICATION
1. Always acknowledge the differences in
cultures.
2. Avoid ethnocentrism.
3. Practice cultural relativism.
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