International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

An understanding of values and worldviews can greatly inform our understanding of the modes of both face-to-face and mediated communication in the so-called western world. The terms “eastern” and “western” are problematic. Stevenson (1994 , 178), for example, classifies Japanese media systems under his rubric of Western mass media. However, for want of alternatives, these terms will be used in this essay. In terms of face-to-face communication, there is great diversity in communication among western cultures, yet we find some similarities in terms of values and thought structures – that is, similarities that characterize Europe and European-descended cultures, as opposed to non-European cultures such as Middle Eastern, Sub-Saharan African, Oceanic, South Asian, or Far Eastern cultures. Hofstede (1997) created a set of value dimensions that many researchers apply to different cultures. The dimensions include the notion of self as a culture's preference for individual autonomy versus connectedness of individuals to their group (individualism/collectivism: I/C), a culture's acceptance of status difference or social inequality (power distance: PD), gender role rigidity and communicative directness versus role fluidity and face-saving communication (masculinity/femininity: M/F), and the culture's relation to ambiguous situations (uncertainty avoidance: UA). Within these dimensions ... log in or subscribe to read full text