Reaction Paper #1 “Culture and Communication- The Relationship between Communication and Culture, Characteristics of Culture, Glimpses of Culture”

In the article “Culture and Communication- The Relationship between Communication and Culture, Characteristics of Culture, Glimpses of Culture”, it is shown that culture is created and changed through communication between individuals and there are factors that may affect it. Culture can be developed in a two-person relationship, groups or even in organizations and each one has its own identity. The relationship between communication and culture is vital, otherwise it would be almost impossible to conserve and transmit all traditions, rituals, laws, customs and so on from one generation to another within a culture.  Technology and the media can contribute to learning from other cultures but it is well known that culture can be affected by them; the most appropriate example would be that countries with great access and control of technology will overpower those who have less resources. In my opinion, humanity would not exist without culture and communication because it is the way we can be identified and it is a great tool for survival.

As the author captured in his article, all social units develop a culture. In a two-person relationship, partners develop their history, share experiences, have a language pattern only they can understand and have specific habits; for example in Costa Rica couples tend to give nicknames to their significant other. On the other side, groups have specific characteristics; for instance, they have a certain way to greet each other and usually have specific vocabulary to do so. Organizations also have their own culture. Companies can have different ways to train their employees, may have different dress codes and even different ways to lead.  On a daily basis, people should develop communication skills to be successful; culture must do it as well because otherwise it would not survive from generation to generation and would disappear. Technology and the media play a great role. They transmit cultural background, traditions and customs to different countries, that way people can learn from other cultures.  As well, it may have disadvantages because developing countries will not have the resources to let the world know they exist.

As Edward Hall said, "We should never denigrate any other culture but rather help people to understand the relationship between their own culture and the dominant culture. When you understand another culture or language, it does not mean that you have to lose your own culture."