Why is communication closely linked to culture?
Because communication expresses, sustains, and alters culture
Culture
Is a way of life: a system of ideas, values, beliefs, customs, and language that is passed from one generation to the next and that sustains a particular way of life.
What does your text author mean by the statement that "cultures are systems?
The interconnected parts of any culture affect one another and the whole.
Individualistic Cultures
: regard each person as distinct from other people, groups, and organizations. Individualistic cultures value personal freedom, individual rights, and independence.
Collectivist Cultures
regard people as deeply connected to one another and to their families, groups, and communities. Collectivist cultures value intergroup order and harmony, group welfare, and interdependence.
Low-context communication style
individualistic cultures generally rely on it. It is very direct, explicit, and detailed.
High-context communication style
collectivist cultures typically rely on it. It is indirect and undetailed and which conveys meanings more implicitly than explicitly.
Standpoint theory
Claims that social groups within a culture distinctively shape members' perspectives- their perceptions, identities, expectations, and so forth.
Uncertainty Reduction theory
Explains that because we find uncertainty uncomfortable, we try to reduce it. To do this we seek information- we ask questions, we listen and observe others, we look for patterns in interaction. As we learn more about values and norms in a culture or soci
ethnocentrism
the tendency to regard ourselves and our way of life as normal and superior to other people and other ways of life.
Resistance
common response to diversity. This occurs when we reject the beliefs of particular cultures or social communities.
Assimilation
occurs when people give up their ways and adopt the ways of the dominant culture.
Tolerance
A second response to diversity. This is an acceptance of differences whether or not one approves of or even understands them.
Four guidelines for adapting communication to diverse cultures
1. Engage in Person-Centered Communication
2. Respect Others' Feelings and Ideas
3. Resist Ethnocentric Bias
4. Recognize That Adapting to Cultural Diversity is a Process
group
three or more people who interact over time, depend on one another, and follow shared rules of conduct to reach a common goal.
team
a special kind of group characterized by different, complementary resources of members and by a strong sense of collective identity.
Project Teams
Many businesses and professions rely on project teams, which consist of people who have expertise related to different facets of a project and who combine their knowledge and skills to accomplish a common goal.
Focus groups
they are used to find out what people think about a specific idea, product, issue, or person.
Brainstorming groups
when idea generation is the goal, brainstorming groups or brainstorming phases in group discussion are appropriate. The goal is to come up with as many ideas as possible.
Advisory groups
they develop and submit recommendations to others, who make the final decision.
Quality Improvement Teams
includes three or more people who have distinct skills or knowledge and who work together to improve quality in an organization.
Decision-Making Groups
exists to make decisions, usually decision-making groups form to make a specific decision.
Seven phases in Dewey's standard agenda for problem solving
1. Define the problem
2. Analyze information relevant to the problem
3. Generate criteria to assess solutions
4. Identify potential solutions
5. Select the best solution
6. Implement the solution
7. Develop an action plan to monitor the effectiveness of t
Cohesion
the degree of closeness among members and the sense of group spirit. In highly cohesive groups, members see themselves as tightly linked and committed to shared goals. This results in satisfaction with group membership.
GroupThink
extreme cohesion leads to this, in which members cease to think critically and independently. Groupthink has occurred in high-level groups such as presidential advisory boards and national decision-making bodies.
Five Bases of Power
Reward power, Coercive power, Legitimate power, Expert power, Referent power
Disruptive Conflict
marked by communication that is competitive as members vie with each other to wield influence and get their way.
Constructive Conflict
occurs when members understand that disagreements are natural and can help them achieve their shared goals.
key features of organizational communication
� Structure: provides predictability for members so that they understand roles, procedures, and expectations
� Communication Networks: which are formal and informal links between members of organizations.
� Links to External Environments: organizations ar
organizational culture
Consists of ways of thinking, acting and understanding work that are shared by members of an organization and that reflect an organization's identity.
Hierarchical language
many organizations and professions have vocabularies that designate status.
Masculine Language
Because organizations historically were run by men, and men held most or all of the high-level positions, it's not surprising that many organizations have developed and continue to use language more related to men's traditional interests and experiences t
Corporate stories
They convey the values, style, and history of an organization.
kinds of organizational rites
rites of passage, rites of integrations, blaming rites, and enhancement rites
four structures that express and uphold organizational culture
roles, rules, policies, and communication networks
what is the function of communication networks?
These networks play key roles in expressing and reinforcing an organization's culture.
Formal Communication Networks
provide the order necessary for organizations to operate. Subordinate to superior, providing feedback and reporting results are upward communication. Downward communication would be peer to peer and coordinating between departments.
Informal Communication Networks
neither formally defined nor based on fixed organizations. Friendships, alliances, carpools, and nearby offices can be informal networks which a great deal of information flows
grapevine
A term that suggests it free-flowing quality
Is especially active during periods of change
New information (a fresh rumor) activates the grapevine
What is included and excluded by the term "mass communication?
Consists of all media that address mass audiences: books, film, television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and other forms of visual and print communication. Mall communication also includes computer technology, such as the Web and WebTV, that reach a grea
Explain the meaning of the phrase "the medium is the message" and identify the author of the phrase.
Marshall McLuhan. First the medium of communication determines the substance of communication. The media massage our consciousness and transform our perceptions. The dominant medium of the age has become mass communication.
What are the various other names for the "hypodermic needle model" of mass communication, what does this model claim, and what caused this model to become prominent?
Also known as Magic Bullet Theory and Direct Effects Model. The theory claims that the media are powerful forces that are injected into vulnerable, passive audiences. The theory gained prominence in the 1930s after Hitler used mass communication to rise t
Explain the meaning of the term "gatekeepers" and identify typical gatekeepers in the context of mass communication
This describes people and groups that decide which messages pass through the gates that control information flow to reach consumers. Gatekeepers screen messages stories, and perspectives of events and people. Editors of newspapers, books, and magazines to
Mean World Syndrome
The belief that the world is a dangerous place, full of mean people who cannot be trusted and who are likely to harm us
Textual Analysis
this approach to research involves closely reading texts, which are broadly defined to include books, television programs, film, fashion, rock music, and other discourses in cultural life.this approach to research involves closely reading texts, which are
Audience Studies
reader-response research- this line of inquiry focuses on the meanings that the audiences assign to their engagement with media.
Political Economy Studies
offers critical analysis of tensions between the current corporate media system and democratic ideals and practices.
Product Placement
paid for by advertisers and program sponsors, is the practice of featuring products in media and ensuring that viewers recognize the product so that the products are associated with particular characters, storylines, and so on.
Immersive Advertising
incorporates a product or brand into actual storylines in books, television programs, and films.
Suggestions for developing media literacy
Develop media literacy
Realistically Assess Media's Influences: media literacy begins with understanding how much influence you believe mass communication has on people
Become Aware of Patterns in Media
Actively Interrogate Media Messages
Puffery
Superlative claims for a product that seems factual but are actually meaningless
Of the groups listed in the "Engagement" chart, which group uses the Internet most and least?
Most: More than $75,000 annual income 95% use the internet. Least: 65-year-olds and up 35% use the internet.
Examine the history of personal and social media chart at the top of page 321; be prepared to establish the proper order of development (you don't have to remember the exact dates) for the following: email, telephone, television, instant messaging, person
Telephone (1875), Television (1940), PCs (1970), IM (2000s)
teleconferencing
Greek prefix tele means "at a distance" this is a discussion among people who are geographically separated.
interconnectivity
the key work for the future of communication technologies. This promises to be good news for people who are not tech savvy. It is the connecting of various devices to each other and to the Internet so users don't have to independently configure each new s
multitasking
engaging in multiple tasks simultaneously or in rapid sequence in overlapping and interactive ways.
Cookies
bits of data that websites collect and store in users' personal browsers.
According to your text author, what are the main ways that computer technologies affect thinking?
They encourage multitasking
They encourage response to visual stimuli
They discourage independent, critical thinking