INTERNATIONAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNICATION
LECTURE WEEK 1
Globalization – compression of time and space
Contextualization – to contextualize is to try and understand other people’s stories
CLASSIFYING CULTURES
“Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one
group from another” (Geert Hofstede)
1. Power Distance Index (PDI)
2. Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV)
3. Masculinity versus Femininity (MAS)
4. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI)
5. Long Term Orientation versus Short Term Normative Orientation (LTO)
6. Indulgence versus Restraint (IND)
Power Distance Index (PDI) – the extent to which the less powerful members of
organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed
unequally
Individualism vs Collectivism (IDV) – the extent to which people feel independent, as
opposed to being interdependent as members of larger wholes
Masculinity versus Femininity (MAS) – masculinity is the extent to which the use of force in
endorsed socially
Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) – deals with a society’s tolerance for uncertainty and
ambiguity
Long Term Orientation versus Short Term Normative Orientation (LTO) – long-term
orientation deals with change
Indulgence versus Restraint (IND) – indulgence is about the good things in life
Issues with Hofstede’s dimensions
- Cultures as fixed entities?
- Cultures as homogeneous entities?
- Reinforcing stereotypes
Stereotype – to believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are
the same
World Values Survey - global network of social scientists studying changing values and their
impact on social and political life, led by an international team of scholars, with the WVS
association and secretariat headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden much of the variation in
human values between societies boils down to two broad dimensions: a first dimension of
“traditional vs. secular-rational values” and a second dimension of “survival vs. self-
expression values” before understanding other cultures, we must also understand ours
The Power of Stories – what stories matter to you
- Understanding stories
- Ancient stories
- Religions and philosophies
,Blasphemy (Merriam-Webster) – irreverence toward something considered sacred or
inviolable
Belief (Merriam-Webster) – conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some
being or phenomenon
Cognitive dissonance (Britannica) – the mental conflict that occurs when beliefs or
assumptions are contradicted by new information
Social storytelling
- Fairytale – wonder tail involving marvellous elements and occurrences, though not
necessarily about fairies
- Legend – traditional story or group of stories told about a particular person or place
resemble folktales in contenct, they may include supernatural beings, elements or
mythology, or explanations of natural phenomena, but they are associated with a
particular locality or person and are told as a matter of history
- Myth – a symbolic narrative, usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional,
that ostensibly relates actual events and that is especially associated with religious
belief specific accounts of gods or superhuman beings involved in extraordinary
events or circumstances in a time that is unspecified but which is understood as
existing apart from ordinary human experience
Monomyth – all mythic narratives as a variations of a single great story
4 FUNCTIONS OF THE MYTH
- Metaphysical function – awakens a sense of awe and wonder before the mystery of
being
- Cosmological function – explains how the universe works
- Sociological function – gives a sense of belonging, validates and supports the existing
social order
- Pedagogical function – guides the individual through the stages of life, connects us
with people of the past who encountered similar problems or situations
MODERN MYTHOLOGIES
- Icons – a person who is very successful and admired
- Hero – a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities
Civilization – a place that has comfortable living conditions human society with its well-
developed social organizations, or the culture and way of life of a society or country at a
particular period of time
Ideologies – a form of social or political philosophy in which practical elements are as
prominent as theoretical ones a system of ideas that aspires both to explain and change
the world
You see the world with your stories
, LECTURE WEEK 2
Strategic Mass Communication – organized and planned communication targeting large
audiences using mass media the impact is on large audiences mass media (social
media)
Auto-da-fé (act of faith)
Is it possible to erase information?
Streisand effect (2003) – efforts to suppress a juice piece of online information can backgire
and end up making things worse for the would-be error in 2003 a photographer took a
picture of Streisand’s house sue the photographer and in return more people saw the
picture when you try to suppress something and it backfires on you
3 TYPES OF STRATEGIC MASS COMMUNICATION
- Misinformation – to inform wrongly with no intention to mislead happens when
you provide information when it’s not completely true but you had no intention to do
this
- Hyperinformation – excess to information, leading to information overload
- Disinformation – strategy of mass communication where lies are being spread on
purpose
Consensual knowledge – knowledge that is considered true enough to be accepted by all
Lsjbot – automated Wikipedia artivle-creating program, or Internet bot, developed by
Sverker Johansson for the Swedish Wikipedia
3 TYPES OF DISINFORMATION
- False information presented as true
- True information presented as false
- Part of information presented as its globality isolate a part of a story and
generalize it
The notion of disinformation does not include misleading advertising, reporting errors, satire
and parody, or clearly identified partisan news and commentary, and is without prejudice to
binding
Why disinformation?
Control of information is key to winning battles
The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy
Maskirovka – misleading the opponent with regard to one’s own intentions, causing the
opponent to make wrong decisions and thereby playing into one’s own hand
Fake news doesn’t exist = disinformation
Reflexive control – a Soviet concept of influencing an adversary’s decision-making process
(now replaced by perception management)
LECTURE WEEK 1
Globalization – compression of time and space
Contextualization – to contextualize is to try and understand other people’s stories
CLASSIFYING CULTURES
“Culture is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one
group from another” (Geert Hofstede)
1. Power Distance Index (PDI)
2. Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV)
3. Masculinity versus Femininity (MAS)
4. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI)
5. Long Term Orientation versus Short Term Normative Orientation (LTO)
6. Indulgence versus Restraint (IND)
Power Distance Index (PDI) – the extent to which the less powerful members of
organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed
unequally
Individualism vs Collectivism (IDV) – the extent to which people feel independent, as
opposed to being interdependent as members of larger wholes
Masculinity versus Femininity (MAS) – masculinity is the extent to which the use of force in
endorsed socially
Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) – deals with a society’s tolerance for uncertainty and
ambiguity
Long Term Orientation versus Short Term Normative Orientation (LTO) – long-term
orientation deals with change
Indulgence versus Restraint (IND) – indulgence is about the good things in life
Issues with Hofstede’s dimensions
- Cultures as fixed entities?
- Cultures as homogeneous entities?
- Reinforcing stereotypes
Stereotype – to believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are
the same
World Values Survey - global network of social scientists studying changing values and their
impact on social and political life, led by an international team of scholars, with the WVS
association and secretariat headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden much of the variation in
human values between societies boils down to two broad dimensions: a first dimension of
“traditional vs. secular-rational values” and a second dimension of “survival vs. self-
expression values” before understanding other cultures, we must also understand ours
The Power of Stories – what stories matter to you
- Understanding stories
- Ancient stories
- Religions and philosophies
,Blasphemy (Merriam-Webster) – irreverence toward something considered sacred or
inviolable
Belief (Merriam-Webster) – conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some
being or phenomenon
Cognitive dissonance (Britannica) – the mental conflict that occurs when beliefs or
assumptions are contradicted by new information
Social storytelling
- Fairytale – wonder tail involving marvellous elements and occurrences, though not
necessarily about fairies
- Legend – traditional story or group of stories told about a particular person or place
resemble folktales in contenct, they may include supernatural beings, elements or
mythology, or explanations of natural phenomena, but they are associated with a
particular locality or person and are told as a matter of history
- Myth – a symbolic narrative, usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional,
that ostensibly relates actual events and that is especially associated with religious
belief specific accounts of gods or superhuman beings involved in extraordinary
events or circumstances in a time that is unspecified but which is understood as
existing apart from ordinary human experience
Monomyth – all mythic narratives as a variations of a single great story
4 FUNCTIONS OF THE MYTH
- Metaphysical function – awakens a sense of awe and wonder before the mystery of
being
- Cosmological function – explains how the universe works
- Sociological function – gives a sense of belonging, validates and supports the existing
social order
- Pedagogical function – guides the individual through the stages of life, connects us
with people of the past who encountered similar problems or situations
MODERN MYTHOLOGIES
- Icons – a person who is very successful and admired
- Hero – a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities
Civilization – a place that has comfortable living conditions human society with its well-
developed social organizations, or the culture and way of life of a society or country at a
particular period of time
Ideologies – a form of social or political philosophy in which practical elements are as
prominent as theoretical ones a system of ideas that aspires both to explain and change
the world
You see the world with your stories
, LECTURE WEEK 2
Strategic Mass Communication – organized and planned communication targeting large
audiences using mass media the impact is on large audiences mass media (social
media)
Auto-da-fé (act of faith)
Is it possible to erase information?
Streisand effect (2003) – efforts to suppress a juice piece of online information can backgire
and end up making things worse for the would-be error in 2003 a photographer took a
picture of Streisand’s house sue the photographer and in return more people saw the
picture when you try to suppress something and it backfires on you
3 TYPES OF STRATEGIC MASS COMMUNICATION
- Misinformation – to inform wrongly with no intention to mislead happens when
you provide information when it’s not completely true but you had no intention to do
this
- Hyperinformation – excess to information, leading to information overload
- Disinformation – strategy of mass communication where lies are being spread on
purpose
Consensual knowledge – knowledge that is considered true enough to be accepted by all
Lsjbot – automated Wikipedia artivle-creating program, or Internet bot, developed by
Sverker Johansson for the Swedish Wikipedia
3 TYPES OF DISINFORMATION
- False information presented as true
- True information presented as false
- Part of information presented as its globality isolate a part of a story and
generalize it
The notion of disinformation does not include misleading advertising, reporting errors, satire
and parody, or clearly identified partisan news and commentary, and is without prejudice to
binding
Why disinformation?
Control of information is key to winning battles
The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy
Maskirovka – misleading the opponent with regard to one’s own intentions, causing the
opponent to make wrong decisions and thereby playing into one’s own hand
Fake news doesn’t exist = disinformation
Reflexive control – a Soviet concept of influencing an adversary’s decision-making process
(now replaced by perception management)
