Culture and Communication

 


Introduction

Culture and communication are two inseparable concepts in the study of human society. Every act of communication is shaped by cultural background, and every culture is sustained and transmitted through communication. The relationship between culture and communication forms the foundation for understanding how meaning is created, shared, and interpreted within societies. In the age of globalization, this connection has become even more significant as people from diverse cultural backgrounds interact through media, business, and technology.

Understanding Culture

Culture can be defined as the sum of shared beliefs, values, customs, traditions, and behaviors that characterize a group of people. Anthropologist Edward B. Tylor (1871) described culture as “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.”
Culture influences how people perceive the world, what they value, and how they behave.

Culture is learned, transmitted, and dynamic. It is not inherited biologically, but acquired through communication — through family, education, religion, and media. Thus, communication acts as the vehicle through which culture exists and evolves.

Defining Communication in a Cultural Context

Communication is the process of creating and sharing meaning through symbols, language, and behavior. Cultural theorist Stuart Hall (1973) emphasized that meaning is not simply transmitted but produced within cultural contexts. The words, gestures, and media messages we use gain meaning only through shared cultural understanding.

This interdependence means that to communicate effectively, one must understand the cultural codes that shape interpretation. A gesture, color, or phrase may carry positive meaning in one culture and be offensive in another. For example, the color white symbolizes purity in Western cultures but is associated with mourning in parts of Asia.

The Relationship Between Culture and Communication

The relationship between culture and communication can be understood as mutually constitutive — culture shapes communication, and communication maintains and transforms culture.

  1. Culture Shapes Communication:

    • Language, gestures, and etiquette differ across cultures.

    • Cultural values determine communication styles — some cultures prefer directness, others rely on subtlety.

    • Example: In Japanese culture, silence and indirect speech are valued forms of politeness, whereas Western cultures may perceive them as lack of clarity.

  2. Communication Sustains Culture:

    • Traditions, rituals, and media narratives transmit cultural norms from generation to generation.

    • Storytelling, films, and social media perpetuate cultural memory and collective identity.

  3. Communication Transforms Culture:

    • With globalization and digital media, communication enables cultural hybridization and the creation of new cultural forms (e.g., global pop culture, fusion cuisines, multicultural advertising).

Examples in Media and Advertising

  • Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” Campaign: Customized bottles with names succeeded globally because it aligned with individualism in Western cultures, while localized versions in Asia reflected collectivism by emphasizing family and friendship.

  • Bollywood Films: Often integrate Indian traditions and modern values, illustrating how communication bridges cultural continuity and change.

  • Netflix Originals: Blend global storytelling with local cultural contexts — e.g., Delhi Crime and Sacred Games present Indian narratives for global audiences.


Related Theories:

  1. Edward Hall’s High and Low Context Cultures:
    Hall (1976) distinguished between high-context cultures (where communication relies heavily on non-verbal cues and context, such as Japan and India) and low-context cultures (where communication is explicit and direct, such as the U.S. and Germany).

  2. Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions (1980):
    Hofstede identified six dimensions  - power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, masculinity vs. femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, and indulgence. These explain variations in communication behavior and workplace interactions across cultures.

  3. Stuart Hall’s Encoding-Decoding Model:
    Hall proposed that media messages are encoded with meaning by producers and decoded differently by audiences based on their cultural frameworks, leading to diverse interpretations.

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