GE1711
02 Handout 1 *Prope rty of STI
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Communication and Globalization
I. Definition of Globalization
• The interweaving of societies, of systems, fastened by technologies and hastened by just-in-time
management systems (Golding, 2009).
• It is the increasing economic, political, and cultural integration and interdependence of diverse
cultures – the worldwide integration of humanity (Gamble, T. & Gamble M., 2013).
• It is the process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and gov ernments of
different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information
technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on
economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the
world (Globalization101.org).
• In social terms, globalization describes an increased level of interconnectedness among the people
of the world and their lives, wor k, and families. As a cultural phenomenon, it means the exchange
of ideas and values among cultures and implies, for some, a trend toward the development of a
single world culture (Investopedia.com).
• Globalization can be thought of as a process (or set of processes) which em bodies a transformation
of the spatial organization of social relations and transactions (Held, et.al., 1999).
II. Intercultural Communication
According to Guydkunst, W. & Y. Kim (1992) cited in Gamble, T. & Gamble M. (2013), it refers to the process
of interpreting and sharing meanings with individuals from different cultures. There are diff erent forms of
intercultural communication namely:
1. Interracial Communication – interpreting and sharing meanings with individuals from different
races
2. Interethnic Communication – interaction with individuals of different ethnic origins
3. International Communication – communication between persons representing different nations
4. Intracultural Communication – interaction with members of the same racial or ethnic group or
co-culture as yours
• culture – system of knowledge, beliefs, val ues, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that are
acquired, shared, and used by its members during daily living (Pearson, J., & Nelson, P.,
1994 cited in Gamble, T. & Gamble M., 2013).
• co-culture – composed of members of the same general culture who differ in some ethnic
or sociological way from the parent culture (Grisworld cited in Gamble, T. & Gam ble M.,
2013). In the Philippine culture, the disabled, the elderly, punks, and gangsters are some
examples of it.
III. Effects of Globalization to Communication
1. Availability of Information
Through the worl d-wid e-web and other communication technologies, the economic and cultural barriers
are continuously minimized. Information can now be easily accessed and spread in different countries
not only through traditional mass media such as television and newspaper but al so through the Internet.
Last April 2017, a severely endangered Sumatran Rhino named Puntung was treated for an injury with
the help of a tweet (right picture) that caused a domino effect in the internet community (Clausen, 2017).
On the downside, Burger King’s Texican Whopper advertisement (left picture) in 2009 received a lot of
criticism from the global community in spite of the fact that the company only intended to show the
advertisement to European countries.
