Communication within the Asian Context

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Communication within the Asian Context

Culture influences many aspects of people’s lives. It determines the way they communicate with each other. Many Asian countries have maintained different aspects of their culture. However, they are not immune to the changes that have occurred and the globalization that has shaped many sectors and countries around the world. Advertisements can help in understanding how people communicate with each other, and they reflect people’s culture. The development of internet technologies has had an effect in the way people communicate with each other. Globalization has exposed people to foreign influences, and this has had an effect on the way people interact and communicate with each other.

Advertisements are not just a way of informing people about a product. People use the adverts to tell their stories. The type of stories told in adverts largely depends on the culture. While Taiwanese adverts are likely to concentrate on the narrative, the US is more likely to focus on a well-developed story structures. This highlights the differences between the western individualized countries and the collective countries in the Asian region (Chang, 2012).

Advertisements can reflect people’s culture. Although countries may borrow from each other when framing advertisements, they find it relevant to remain within their scope of influence by reflecting the culture and the people. When comparing adverts in China and the US, it was clear that collective cultures are represented in different ways from the individualized cultures. Collectivist cultures tend to focus more on issues that highlight the community, health and nutrition, and ornamental appeal in China. This differs from the individualistic cultures, such as in the US, where the focus is directed towards people’s independence (Cheong et al., 2010)

Advertisements are used as a means of communication, and they reflect the society’s ideals and beliefs. It is possible to determine what people believe, and how these beliefs have changed by examining the advertisement trends. Matrimonial ads in India highlights the place of women in the society, men’s preferences for the ideal woman, and the stereotypes that people believe concerning gender roles and the ideal standards of beauty. Media communication has advanced the idea of sexual objectification of women.

The media has been instrumental in defining the ideal standards of beauty among both women and men. Most people define the ideal beauty standard as being thin and fair, and this has changed the way people understand beauty (Ramasubramanian & Jain, 2009). These are normally considered western beauty principles. Women are going to extreme lengths to achieve this standard. The same sentiments are experienced in South Korea; whereby the US media has influenced the way people perceive beauty. In their research, Kim Bissell and Jee Chung (2009) note that South Korean women are use the same ideals to measure beauty as Americans do.

The development of information communication technologies has benefited people in diverse ways. People in different sectors have found ways of using emerging technologies to communicate. The uptake of internet related technologies such as social media has been steady but gradual. It has provided a way for the ruling political elite to communicate with the younger generation, who have more technological knowledge. The effectiveness of using the new media depends on utilizing different platforms such as Facebook, twitter, and blogs (Soon & Soh, 2013).

Politicians have taken advantage of the connections and interactivity of the social media. This has acted as a way to bridge the division between those in power and the younger generation. It has given younger people the voice they need to raise their concerns regarding their country’s leadership. Thus, technology has put to light the existing differences between the old and the young, and those in power and the ordinary people. It is possible to identify other instances of inequality by observing how people use the internet. Many people are using different internet related technologies to communicate as they are attracted by factors such as interactivity and autonomy. Factors such as literacy and resources determine whether people can access the internet and this indicates their potential to communicate. Therefore, people who do not have access to such factors have limited communication abilities (Pan et al., 2011)

Many Asian countries have maintained their traditions despite embracing modernity. They are guided by different principles, especially Confucianism, which determines the way they communicate, interact, and relate to each other. Thus, even with the proliferation of foreign and western influences, some of the traditions remain strong. Such traditions and culture include separation of roles, respect to elders, and a clear class and status difference. The observance of such traditions and beliefs has distinguished many Asian nations from other countries. It has defined the way that people communicate with each other. Social structures are important in many Asian countries. They define and determine the way people relate to each other. The explosion of the South Korean dramas has reflected the existence of divisions within the society. They have defined clear class and gender identities, and this reflects the trend in the society (Yang, 2008).

The way that people communicate largely depends on the way they relate to each other. The existence of class boundaries and clear gender roles marks a distinction in the communication process. Although this is the case, many countries in the region have not been exempted from the globalization that has taken place. The world has become more of a global village, where people are determined to change the negative or non-productive elements of their culture. This has created a difference between the older and younger generations. The older generation wants to continue observing the culture as it has always been. This includes giving the women a secondary position in the home and in the work environment. The younger generation is more exposed to foreign values. Young people are willing to disregard conservative customs. The Korean drama reflects different aspects of family life. There is concentration on the class and social differences as well as gender stereotypes. The younger women feel that this does not depict a clear representation of reality. They want shows where the women are able to combine the professional development with the domestic responsibilities (Espiritu, 2011).

Although cultures in Asian countries are different, most of them seem to be similar in the way they have tried to maintain several aspects of their culture. This has determined how they communicate with each other. However, the younger generation is more willing to accept foreign influences, which has occurred as a result of globalization and technology. This is clear in the way their advertisements and in the television shows that they choose to watch. The use of technology has not only enhanced communication, but it has also highlighted the differences existing between different groups.

References:

Bissell, L. K., & Chung, Y. J. (2009). Americanized beauty? Predictors of perceived attractiveness from US and South Korea participants based on media exposure, ethnicity, and socio-cultural attitudes toward ideal beauty. Asian Journal of Communication, 19(2), 227-247

Chang, C. (2012). How people tell an ad story: Western vs. Asian styles. Asian Journal of Communication, 22(3), 235-252

Cheong, Y., Kim, K., & Zheng, L. (2010). Advertising appeals as a reflection of culture: A cross-cultural analysis of food advertising appeals in China and the US. Asian Journal of Communication, 20(1), 1-16

Espiritu, F. B. (2011). Transnational audience reception as a theater of struggle: Young Filipino women’s reception of Korean television drama. Asian Journal of Communication, 21(4), 355-372

Pan, Z., Yan, W., Jing, G., & Zheng, J. (2011). Exploring structured inequality in internet use behavior. Asian Journal of Communication, 21(2), 116-132

Ramasubramanian, S., & Jain, P. (2009). Gender stereotypes and normative heterosexuality in matrimonial ads from globalizing India. Asian Journal of Communication, 19(3), 253-269

Soon, C., & Soh, D. Y. (2013). Engagement@web 2.0 between the government and citizens in Singapore: Dialogic communication on Facebook? Asian of Journal of Communication, 24(1), 42-59

Yang, I. F. (2008). Engaging with Korean dramas: Discourses of gender, media, and class formation in Taiwan. Asian Journal of Communication, 18(1), 64-79