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Western Communication Modes

Name

Institution
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Western Communication Modes

Face-to-face and mediated means of communication are aspects of Western modes of communication.
Scholars have compared Western to Eastern as well as other non-Western communication cultures over
the years, claiming that Western mode is more direct, focused on the literal meaning of the terms,
independent, and pragmatic. Western nations are distinguished by their extensive use of media,
particularly the Internet and social media. However, any such assertions should be treated with caution:
T here are enormous variances in values and communication styles across Western cultures, and there is
substantial media consumption and growth among non-Western cultures. This piece examines both the
summary assertions and the disclaimers, discovering some continuity in Western cultures' basic
reasoning and their idealistic presentation of non-Western cultures.

In contexts of face-to-face communication, there is wide variation among western cultures, but we find
some similar characteristics in terms of values and thought structures. Hofstede (1997) developed a set
of key dimensions that many scholars apply to diverse cultures. The dimensions include the concept of
self as a culture's preference for individual autonomy versus group connectedness, affirmation of status
discrepancy, gender role rigidity and conversational directness versus role fluidity and face-saving
interactions, and the culture's relationship to ambiguous situations. Few particularly western patterns
may be seen within these proportions.

If describing western modes of verbal and nonverbal communication is challenging due to national

variety, discussing western forms of mediated communication is similarly difficult due to parallels in
modes between western and nonwestern cultures. Eastern and western countries rotate as the top
users of land lines, cell phones, and computers. Some claim that, despite their global origins and
dispersion, media technologies preserve (some) Western nations' core values and epistemologies.
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References

Baldwin, J. (2017). Communication Modes, Western. The International Encyclopedia of Communication.

https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118783665.ieicc0153

Hofstede, G. (1997). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. New York: McGraw-Hill.