Factors Affecting Global Communication

Global Communication is the process by which people from different cultural backgrounds try to communicate with each other. Due to advancement in science, technology and rapid expansion in global business, global communication has taken a giant leap in terms of reaching billions of people in the world. The expansion of global communication can also be attributed to the fast changing nature and the competitiveness of the business world [1]. However, this rapid expansion of global communication has also seen some setbacks due to cultural differences, differences in communication distribution and ethnocentrism.

The world has had a technological boom in the last 20 years. Due to the advancement in mass communication tools like the internet, the world has seen an unprecedented rise in global communication patterns. Social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have transfigured the way with each we communicate with each other. Today, everything is wireless and people can talk to each other from one corner of the globe to other in a push of a button. However, this rise in technology has not been uniform at all. Economically developed nations which have the resources to maneuver technology control much of the information flow in the world. People in the least developed regions don’t have access to any of the high end products, and for them the world is still the same [2]. Moreover, the blockage in media by some the world’s government has also had negative impact on global communication. People in nations like North Korea don’t even know the situation of the world outside their territory.

Apart from that, differences in culture have also hindered the path of global communication in recent years. Language has always been a barrier in global communication. Since, not all the people in the world speak the same global language; they find it pretty difficult to transfer ideas. Not only that, the way people communicate within their culture is different amongst many cultures. So it is very important to understand cultures and communication patterns for an effective communication. For example, most of the western nations, including the US have a low context culture where ideas are rule oriented and are told explicitly. However, this is not the same with most of the eastern cultures where ideas are transferred over cultural understanding. So, if a person from a high context culture tries to assimilate into a low context culture, he will face many challenges as he is more task- centered and direct [3].

However, the thing that has hit global communication the most is ethnocentrism. The tendency of people to think that their beliefs and ideas are superior to others has negatively impacted inter-cultural communication today.  The ignorant and the ones who don’t have the seal to understand other cultures are definitely ethnocentric; however, even the enlightened ones at times think that their own behaviors are logical [4].As people follow the set idea imparted by their culture, the whole idea of  global communication gets blurred.

So, like any other field, global communication also has a few areas of difficulty. However, as the goal of global communication is to understand the world better and eliminate differences; the challenges can be easily worked upon if people from all the regions try to be positive and come forward. If these gaps are removed, then the world would be even a better place to live in.

Citations

• "Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace." Professional Translation Services | Interpreters | Intercultural Communication & Training. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/articles/intercultural-communiction-global-workplace.html>.
• Volkmer, Ingrid. "International Communication Theory in Transition: Parameters of the New Global Public Sphere." MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/papers/volkmer.html>.
• Norris, Pippa. "Cultural Diversity in Globalized World." Cosmopolitan Communications. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. <http://www.hks.harvard.edu/fs/pnorris/Books/Cosmopolitan%20Communications.htm>.
• "Cross-Cultural/International Communication - Ethnocentrism, Factors Affecting Cross-cultural Business Communication." Reference For Business - Encyclopedia of Small Business, Business Biographies, Business Plans, and Encyclopedia of American Industries. Web. 16 Nov. 2011. http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/small/Co-Di/Cross-Cultural-International-Communication.html.