Cultural Understanding: Part Two

Well here we are again delving into the new media world. And just as promised here is the second part of our Cultural Understanding segment.

Cultural Diversity is defined as, 'the preservation of varying ideas, beliefs, codes and creeds in their original state' (Hamner 1988, iv). Although this seems geographically distinctive, the same theory can be applied to global, state, local or hyperlocal cultures (Bruns 2008, week 4). After all it is the presence of so many cultural levels that creates cultural divergence; the topic under discussion today. (Saunders 2008, lecture 4).

Now there are a number of ways you could explain cultural divergence. But for ease of explanation I will break it down for you into a three stage process.

1. The 80/20 rule*
2. Chris Anderson's 'The Long Tail' concept
3. Application in New Media

Put simple the 80/20 rule states that of everything that is produced, 20% will appeal to a large audience, the remaining 80% only attracting small audiences. Now although business sense would tell you to target the large audiences; new media has framed its technology around the remaining 80%; using the Long Tail concept (Anderson 2004, 1).

‘The Long Tail concept can be defined as, ‘the future does not lie in hits – the high-volume end of a traditional demand curve – but in what used to be regarded as misses, the curve's endlessly long tail’ (Anderson 2008, 2). Technologies such as blogger.com, last.fm and amazon use this framework and target those consumers with interest beyond the mainstream (Bruns 2008, week 4). By media allowing, developing and harnessing this left over 80%, they are feeding the niche cultures that create cultural diversity (Anderson 2008, 1 & trendwatching.com 2008, 1).

The new media environment has only eased this process. ‘With the rise of the Internet around the globe, intercultural communications have become "a mouse click away".’ (Dahl 2000, 1).With online buy, sell and swap forums like ebay and gumtree, each new and diverse frame of mind can search, sell, buy, swap or create their own content adding to our diverse cultural framework. It is this ease of production that creates diversities first threat.

Figure 1: Innovation control curve

Brown and Eisenhardt state ‘the central dilemma of current business is how to achieve adaptive innovation and consistent execution without loosing control’ (2000, 28). This is explored in figure 1, which shows, ‘a company must balance on the edge of innovation without falling into the chaos trap’ (Glaser 2000, figure 1). Because new content is encouraged so strongly to create diversity, new media technologies face the risk of being overrun, unable to support all the new content. A problem which questions whether or not cultures can exist without being constantly supervised.

Milliken and Martins argue that ‘groups and organizations will act systematically to drive out individuals who are different from the majority, unless this tendency to drive out diversity is managed’ (1998, 420). From this it stands to reason that cultural levels, just the same as cultural groups will not remain different and therefore diverse unless they are constantly monitored. Social groups will naturally pull these diverse groups closer and closer to the norm, until we are instead facing cultural convergence, instead of divergence.

So you have seen both sides of the story, the decision is now yours. I look forward to hearing from you, in regards to what you think of these issues. Until then blessed blogging.

Cheers
Gemini 21