Cross-Cultural Communication Patterns In Computer Mediated Communication

Daria Panina,Maya Kroumova

doi:10.19030/jier.v11i1.9092

Abstract

There are important cultural differences in attitudes towards and use of electronic text communication. Consistent with Hall’s high-context/low-context conceptualization of culture, electronic inter-cultural communication, just as verbal inter-cultural communication, is affected by the culturally-specific assumptions and preferences of message writers.

Highlights

AND LITERATURE REVIEWT he purpose of this paper is to address the gap in current knowledge concerning the impact of culturally-bound communication styles on electronic communication
The lack of directness and the emphasis on politeness may diminish the effectiveness of the message being communicated: Hypothesis 4: Messages written by individuals from low context cultures will be perceived as more effective compared to messages written by individuals of high context cultures, from the perspective of individuals from lowcontext cultures
Our results indicated that cultural differences in communication styles do carry over to electronic communication

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Several studies have found that due to their collectivist orientation, individuals from Asian and Arab cultures are likely to be more polite than individuals from low-context, individualist cultures in both verbal and written communications (e.g., Feghali, 1997; Park et al, 2005). We hypothesize that this tendency towards indirectness and politeness will carry over to computer mediated communication as well: Hypothesis 2: Individuals from low-context cultures will write e-mails that are perceived as more direct than the emails written by individuals of high-context cultures, from the perspective of individuals from low-context cultures. The lack of directness and the emphasis on politeness may diminish the effectiveness of the message being communicated: Hypothesis 4: Messages written by individuals from low context cultures will be perceived as more effective compared to messages written by individuals of high context cultures, from the perspective of individuals from lowcontext cultures

METHOD

RESULTS

DISCUSSION