Angela Carroll
Dr. Wilson
10-23-11
COM 360
Think, for a moment, about the various ways we communicate in our culture and how it has changed over the years. In the past, communication was primarily limited to those around us and who we could walk to. With the rise of technology, our ability to connect, converse, and to convey ourselves has expanded. Such growth in the methods of communication, “the process of sending and receiving messages” (Miller pg. 190, 2011), and the explosion of globalization has allowed our ideas, religions, and our art to be both exposed to, and to influence, other cultures.
The ways in which people communicate differ depending on the culture you belong to as well as the context which influences which type of multiple ways to communicate is used. In the American culture, for example, it is generally accepted among many that one must make eye contact when speaking to another person face to face. Looking away is generally considered rude (Miller pg. 194 ,2011). Further, it’s not considered proper to touch another person unless they are related to you or you know them very well.
Among some in Japan, eye contact can be considered rude (Miller pg. 194 ,2011).
In many cultures, clothes are also used to convey meaning. In America, one wears a suit to look wealthy and successful. In Kuwait, women cover their heads to mark themselves as wealthy (Miller pg. 195, 2011).
As technology has progressed, new routes of communication have opened, each with their own etiquette. In America, ‘texting’, like email but faster and over cellphones instead of computers, is a way to stay connected, especially among young people. Texting while one is class is also very popular but not smiled upon by professors.
E-mail, older than texting, can be done over the Internet. Though it is not as ‘quick’ as texting, e-mailing allows one to send documents and large amount of data across the web. E-mail is considered more professional and used in working environments. When e-mailing another person, one must be sure to include information in the subject line to allow for easy reading. The person receiving your e-mail isn’t going to go through each message they receive and might send yours to the trash bin.
One form of commutation which includes the Internet as well as television, books, and other formats is media. Media reflects the ideas and beliefs of a culture; however, it can also contribute to the way reality is understood.
Again, through framing, a media outlet can portray an event, a person, a country, and even an entire culture, in a certain light.
For example, one popular image existing in television is the idea of the gay best friend, a gay man who is ‘friends’ with a rich, white, often single woman. These men are especially feminine and talk about nothing but fashion, sex, and guy problems.
Media is just one area where a person orients their understandings of the world. Religion, “beliefs and behavior related to supernatural beings and forces” (Miller Pg. 212, 2011), can also be a main factor in shaping how a person thinks.
Religions can include sacred rituals, myths, ‘stories about supernatural forces or beings’ (Miller, Pg. 213 2010) doctrine, “direct statements about religious beliefs” (Miller, Pg. 213 2010), and the beliefs and actions of those involved.
Although rituals can be sacred, like the foot washing in some Christian churches, they can also be secular. An example of a secular ritual can be found in Comic-con. Held annually in Los Angeles, Comic-con was once considered by geeks, nerds, and others as the “Nerd Prom”.
Comics are also a form of cultural expression and used to communicate. They, like other forms of medium, can be considered to be a form of art. Art comes in two forms, fine art and folk art. Fine art,“ produced by artists usually trained in the Western classical tradition” (Miller pg.236, 2010) while folk art is considered to those without such characteristics.
My grandmother has a particular fondness for folk art, coming from the Appalachia region where there is a great amount of art from different cultural backgrounds produced. She enjoys reading the Fox Fire books which detail the culture of Southern Appalachia. Folk art from the Appalachia region includes pottery, dolls, quilts, paintings, carved knives, and many, many other objects.
Using framing, advertisements hide much of the reality behind their choice of frame. Instead, they attempt to communicate to possible customers of the safe, relaxing, and 'authentic' time available within their country (Miller Pg. 245, 2010). Often, the suffering of the people are minimized as well as their diversity.
One such example can be found in the documentary Life and Debt , a video on the true reality facing many of the Jamaica people.
Works Cited
Miller, Barbara D. (2010). Cultural Anthropology in a Globalizing World (2nd ed.). Prentice Hall: New York.
The ways in which people communicate differ depending on the culture you belong to as well as the context which influences which type of multiple ways to communicate is used. In the American culture, for example, it is generally accepted among many that one must make eye contact when speaking to another person face to face. Looking away is generally considered rude (Miller pg. 194 ,2011). Further, it’s not considered proper to touch another person unless they are related to you or you know them very well.
Among some in Japan, eye contact can be considered rude (Miller pg. 194 ,2011).
In many cultures, clothes are also used to convey meaning. In America, one wears a suit to look wealthy and successful. In Kuwait, women cover their heads to mark themselves as wealthy (Miller pg. 195, 2011).
As technology has progressed, new routes of communication have opened, each with their own etiquette. In America, ‘texting’, like email but faster and over cellphones instead of computers, is a way to stay connected, especially among young people. Texting while one is class is also very popular but not smiled upon by professors.
E-mail, older than texting, can be done over the Internet. Though it is not as ‘quick’ as texting, e-mailing allows one to send documents and large amount of data across the web. E-mail is considered more professional and used in working environments. When e-mailing another person, one must be sure to include information in the subject line to allow for easy reading. The person receiving your e-mail isn’t going to go through each message they receive and might send yours to the trash bin.
One form of commutation which includes the Internet as well as television, books, and other formats is media. Media reflects the ideas and beliefs of a culture; however, it can also contribute to the way reality is understood.
Again, through framing, a media outlet can portray an event, a person, a country, and even an entire culture, in a certain light.
For example, one popular image existing in television is the idea of the gay best friend, a gay man who is ‘friends’ with a rich, white, often single woman. These men are especially feminine and talk about nothing but fashion, sex, and guy problems.
Are some gay men like this? Sure. But are all of them? NO!
There has long been a similar trend in the portrayal of black characters in television being used as comedic, helpful, plot devices, a subject that is further explained by Eric Deggans on npr.
Media is just one area where a person orients their understandings of the world. Religion, “beliefs and behavior related to supernatural beings and forces” (Miller Pg. 212, 2011), can also be a main factor in shaping how a person thinks.
Religions can include sacred rituals, myths, ‘stories about supernatural forces or beings’ (Miller, Pg. 213 2010) doctrine, “direct statements about religious beliefs” (Miller, Pg. 213 2010), and the beliefs and actions of those involved.
Myths, as found in the Irish storytelling from an earlier post, can be used to pass on morals and values. Doctrines are written like as found in the Holy Bible or the Qur’an and explicitly state what should be done and should not be done (Miller, Pg. 215 2010).
Although rituals can be sacred, like the foot washing in some Christian churches, they can also be secular. An example of a secular ritual can be found in Comic-con. Held annually in Los Angeles, Comic-con was once considered by geeks, nerds, and others as the “Nerd Prom”.
Comics are also a form of cultural expression and used to communicate. They, like other forms of medium, can be considered to be a form of art. Art comes in two forms, fine art and folk art. Fine art,“ produced by artists usually trained in the Western classical tradition” (Miller pg.236, 2010) while folk art is considered to those without such characteristics.
My grandmother has a particular fondness for folk art, coming from the Appalachia region where there is a great amount of art from different cultural backgrounds produced. She enjoys reading the Fox Fire books which detail the culture of Southern Appalachia. Folk art from the Appalachia region includes pottery, dolls, quilts, paintings, carved knives, and many, many other objects.
Another love for my grandmother is traveling for leisure, or traveling for no reason and without rules (Miller pg. 243, 2010). She loves traveling so much, she often spends hours online researching vacation spots. My grandmother, however, restricts herself to places she is familiar with as she is aware of the methods tourist destinations use to attract people.
Using framing, advertisements hide much of the reality behind their choice of frame. Instead, they attempt to communicate to possible customers of the safe, relaxing, and 'authentic' time available within their country (Miller Pg. 245, 2010). Often, the suffering of the people are minimized as well as their diversity.
One such example can be found in the documentary Life and Debt , a video on the true reality facing many of the Jamaica people.
Works Cited
Miller, Barbara D. (2010). Cultural Anthropology in a Globalizing World (2nd ed.). Prentice Hall: New York.
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