At the current stage of its development, the world is more globalist than it has ever been. Notably, information about other nations continues to become more and more available for ordinary citizens, and cross-cultural communication can occur through several channels in parallel. The paper examines three, of which each has certain limitations but allows for a broader picture of the world on the condition of correct use.
One channel is transnational corporations (TNCs), businesses that operate around the globe. The presence of such in a community, in one respect, helps revitalize it by creating jobs, investing in finance, and sharing advanced technological solutions, which is especially important for developing nations (Chernotsky & Hobbs, 2018). Along with this, TNCs frequently monopolize the industry, oppressing smaller businesses. In the United States, for instance, the powerful brands that control food production purchase ingredients from farmers for the prices they establish (Lakhani et al., 2021). Such behavior leads to the economic development of the population. Therefore, TNCs should support local small businesses rather than exploit them to be more socially responsible.
Another channel of international communication is tourism, which allows for a diverse and unique experience. It is worth noting, however, that personal views of foreign nations are subjective; Riccardi (n.d.) highlights that they depend strongly on the way the individual perceives the world. In particular, openness to a new experience determines visual perception; simply stated, a curious and risky person sees more than a reserved one does (Goldhill, 2017). Considering this, it is essential to remember that everybody regards other cultures through his or her own lens, which may cause misunderstanding.
Finally, historical discourses also can help learn more about other countries, sometimes changing the view of those. Thus, it may be astonishing that females in South Africa and Turkey won suffrage earlier than in France, which currently is among the strongholds of women’s rights (Ellis, 2021). However, such knowledge makes it clear that the latter cannot be a universal measurement of well-being. A bright example is Iran, where women lost the vast majority of career prospects after the Islamic revolution; this country remains at the bottom of global equality ratings (ibid.). Therefore, it apparently is among the least favorable locations for living and work, as permanent discrimination is dramatically demotivating.
To summarize, popular channels of cross-cultural communication have both advantages and disadvantages. Notably, transnational corporations favor sharing experience and resources but can become monopolists, making the population dependent on them. However, tourism provides a broad perspective on foreign countries, which is highly subjective. Studying history, meanwhile, can compensate for the latter drawback, adding to the knowledge of a certain culture and simplifying its exploration.
References
Chernotsky, H. I., & Hobbs, H. H. (2018). Crossing borders (3rd Ed.). SAGE.
Ellis, J. (2021). When women got the right to vote in 50 countries. Stacker. Web.
Goldhill, O. (2021). Open-minded people have a different visual perception of reality. Quartz. Web.
Lakhani, N., Uteuova, A., & Chang, A. (2021). Revealed: the true extent of America’s food monopolies and who pays the price. The Guardian. Web.
Riccardi, P. (n.d.). Cross-cultural communication [Video]. YouTube. Web.