Cultural Understanding: Part One

Culture... 'the sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes one group of people from another. An understanding transmitted through language, material objects, ritual, institutions, and art, from one generation to the next' (Dictionary.com 2008). A stock standard, 100% accurate definition, given by a man viewing the world through a microscope with both eyes shut. Now if your happy to see the world this way, fine, I'll take no prisoners. But in an age where the web 2.0 and technology rule, culture is so much bigger than that.

Scholars will tell you that 'culture exist on numerous levels' (Bruns 2008, week 4), that each one 'interweaves and interconnects' (Jenkins 2006, 1) and that 'we all play a part' (Trendwatching.com 2005) and that’s what makes it so wonderful. Just by taking a step outside your front door you are emersed in global cultures, geographical culturals, local, state and hyperlocal cultures, (Bruns 2008, week 4), all waiting to be crafted, evaluated, updated and challenged by you and your imagination. Each culture developing in and around one another to the point where we can only guess where one begins, another stops and which one effected the other first.

And this my friends is where things get interesting… because culture is so interconnected it is hard to say whether we are facing one culture or many. So we find ourselves at a cross road of understanding. Some argue cultural convergence, others divergence, who's right? Are they both right?

Now if you were to discuss the idea of cultural convergence, you could not go past mentioning Henry Jenkins. Although he provides the media focused definition, ‘the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behavior of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want’ (Jenkins 2006, 1). He continues to argue that convergence is not restricted to media, rather, ‘it is a word that manages to describe technological, industrial, cultural and social changes depending on who’s speaking and what they are talking about’ (Jenkins 2006, 4).

A perfect point in the discussion to introduce you to Wyndham Lewis and Herbert Marshall McLuhan; the gentlemen responsible for creating and validating the ‘Global Village’.

The Global Village term takes Jenkins idea of cultural convergence out of its media shell, and gives it life in a new media sphere. It is no longer just how consumers take in the shows they watch, or the information they are given. The Global Village explores the internet, mobile phones, social networks, plainly technology as a whole and how it all seems to be slowly converging into one small convenience network (Bruns 2008, week 5). Not only are we crossing, co-operating and migrating (Jenkins 2006, 1), ‘humankind is moving from individualism and fragmentation to a collective identity. Instead of tending towards a vast library, the world has become the equivalent of one computer moving into a phase of total interdependence, and superimposed co-existence’ (McLuhan 1962 & Lewis 1948).

So we leave it there, and ponder the effects of convergence. Join me again for Cultural Understanding: Part Two where we will discuss Cultural Divergence, hopefully finding our feet in amongst this crazy culture.

Cheers Gemini21