Stephan Dahl
Communications and Culture Transformation
Cultural Diversity, Globalization and Cultural Convergence

Chapter 6: Conclusion and Discussion

The previous sections can be distinguished into three broad categories: an explanation of what culture is, and how different cultures distinguish themselves, a presentation of current political, economical and media tendencies and an explanation of an intercultural encounter, and the resulting modification of the internal meaning structure.

In the first section, we have developed a number of variables that make cultures different. Those variables can be distinguished into three broad sections: artifacts, values and norms and basic assumptions. Each of the variables is in constant interaction, and makes up the internal meaning structure of the individual.

The individual learn its culture from its environment - first from its family, later from its social relationships, and the social environment, in particular the media, politics and its professional life.

During the second section, we discussed a variety of political and economical influences that shape the culture of societies. Particular attention is also being given to media and computer mediated communication, which facilitates the intercultural exchange, and exposes the individual to cultural attributes. The media in particular have a critical role in the globalization, as through them cultural attributes are distributed largely globally. The interchange of economy, politics, the local and the global is particularly interesting in the commercial media. Primarily the commercial media depends on the economy for revenue, it hence has to obey to the demands of its source of income. Equally it has to adhere to political norms. This of course in turn makes the programming profane and uncritical of the status quo. On the other side, the media has to satisfy the consumer: giving access to both local and global media content for identification. With the main target to reach as many viewers as possible, in as many markets as possible, the media has to adapt to the local consumer, and the majority as a whole. A platform for alternative views can hence be no longer allowed, as that would sacrifice the total amounts of viewers. If the depolitization of society is the consequence of this, then the turn out to elections in Germany and the UK should an alarming signal, the change of the Left in politics also shows the centralization tendency of societies with strong media influence.

The third section looks at the process of acculturation, and intercultural encounters. The section describes the process of becoming 'multicultural'.One of the important aspects of our discussion is the internal meaning structure, or the system of assumptions, values and behavior. This internal system is aimed to be 'logical', that is basic assumptions must be able to lead to the values and to displayed behavior, or I other words, the internal meaning structure is in equilibrium.. If the environment changes, our internal meaning structure gets disturbed, and we hence have to adopt after a certain pressure occurs: this can well be a small adoption to accommodate behavior that is new, or a major adaptation changing values and assumptions.

Our worldview is of course subject to the reality that we experience around us: it is the 'real world': family, friends and colleagues; but it is also the 'non-real' world: the world of television and media, the world of the abstract. Both worlds have equally an important impact onto our meaning structure, and give the impulses to change and adopt our meaning structure. In this view, the concern for, for example, children being exposed to extremely violent children's programming seems extremely realistic. Research concluded, that for example people with a high television consumption estimate the crime rate clearly above the 'real' crime rate. This shows how their view was shaped by the influence of media (Dominick 1990, Chandler 1995).

Cultures have clearly moved closer together. In addition to the traditionally understood symbolism, there is something like an internationally understood symbolism and 'the popular', the world-wide understood meaning system that is displayed in the 'cosmopolitan' culture.

Does this mean that the local cultures will be completely eroded? No, for the time being that is not the case. The internal meaning structures are still focused, when arising, to our direct environment, the 'home environment'. Although this is no longer as distinct as it was, and the individual transforms, via media usage and intercultural connectedness, it maintains the home environment as its base. This is particularly true for those individuals that never physically move from their own culture. Their meaning structure incorporates some 'cosmopolitan' or universal culture, but it also maintains a strong link to the home culture. The development over time is, of course, less predictable, but might well be somewhat brighter for the existence of the local cultures and the protection of the 'heritage', than it is seen by some very pessimistic scholars.

Cultures do converge, new identities do arise. Imagined and real communities are formed and dissolved. People do shift through cultures, and identities. But the underlying culture still determines a lot of the emerging cultures: the local focus is still present, and we have not reached the universal culture.

It is also not, and that is often confused, the disappearance of certain cultural attributes that make a culture disappear or no longer existing. A culture is more than just the attributes that are displayed, it is a more deeper, more profound system that makes the cultures distinct. Cultures converge, but they do not disappear, as yet.

This project has aimed to give an overview of the complexities of culture and globalization, society and the individual. With the emergence of new communication forms, further research is needed to identify the impact of the possible new communities and communication possibilities that arise. Equally, the influence of mass media, and in particular commercial media merits further attention. Their influence on shaping the individual's reality is still largely contested, particular problems that arise are the democratic culture and the national cultures. Another important research question is the rise of neo-fascist and anti-democratic tendencies in various cultures, and their connection to cultural variables and globalization.

Furthermore, the convergence of cultures has to be studied in more detail. While the field of what makes a culture has been elaborated and solidified, the predicting theories of cultural convergence are still not developed. Also there is a need for further research into the different theories of intercultural exchange, the appropriateness, usefulness and relevance of developed theories has to be tested against reality. For this a more profound set of research methods needs development.

In the end, it is the almost unlimited human capacity for adaptation and self-organization that makes the area of intercultural encounters and cultural convergence so interesting. And with the further development of intercultural-connectedness the field for further research seems endless.