Chapter 1

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Culture of Sharing and Online Reputation Handling (Management)
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Social Media Technologies
CHAPTER 1
Culture and Cultural
Identity

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Social Media TechnologiesLEARNING CONTENT
There are many opinions about the definition of culture.
They all share the idea that it is the “software” which
people use in daily life.

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Culture can be described as the language, norms, values
and beliefs that any particular group of people share. There
are two interrelated aspects of culture:

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Material culture refers to all of the
physical objects, resources and
spaces that people use to define their
culture (cities, schools, temples,
technology,…)
Non – material culture includes ideas
associated with these objects,
resources and spaces (traditions,
symbols, language, values, rules,…)

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Social Media TechnologiesNOTE THIS
The word culture is often used as a synonym for nation and
society, but they aren't the same thing.
Nation ≠ Society ≠ Culture
A nation is a
territory with
designated
borders
A society is a
population in
which people
interact and
share common
interests
A culture is
the shared
way of living
of people

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One of the most well-known culture models is the iceberg
model, which focus our attention on the hidden aspects of
culture.

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Social Media TechnologiesADD ANIMATION
Visible aspects:
easy to observe
Invisible aspects:
suspected, imagined or intuited

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Conception of beauty
Conception of justice
Religious beliefs
Importance of time
General world view
Work ethic
...

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The invisible aspects of culture influence or cause the visible
ones. Religious beliefs, for example, are clearly manifested in
certain holiday customs or styles of dress.

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Social Media TechnologiesEXTRA INFORMATION
There are many theoretical models which explain the concept
of culture. You can see more information on the following
links:
- Geert Hofstede’s model of cultural dimensions.
- Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner's Seven Dimensions of
Culture.
- Edward Hall’s behavioural components of culture.
- Jacques Demorgon´s model of cultural dimensions.

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Like icebergs, each person´s identity is made up of multiple
elements and is unique.
Identifying and understanding the lower part of one´s own
iceberg is vital to understanding who you are and why you
behave the way you do.

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By becoming aware of these important aspects in your life,
you can analyse how they influence your relations with other
people and why we see and perceive the world differently to
each other.

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But where do our values, beliefs or customs come from?
They have been created throughout our lives in a process
called socialisation.
Socialisation is a lifelong process during
which we learn about social expectations
and how to interact with other people.
During socialisation, we learn about our own culture,
including behavioral norms and values that teach us
how to fit in with our social groups.

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We were born into different cultural groups or agents of
socialisation. Some examples are:
Me
Ethnic or
traditional groups
Friends and peers
Religions
Generational
groups
Work and interest
groups
Mass media

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Through socialisation, we acquire a personal identity and
learn to value our connections with others. This process
continues for an entire lifetime.
As we acquire a personal identity, we also acquire a social
identity.

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Understanding the process of socialisation makes you realise
that there are a variety of different identities. So you become
aware of diversity: not everybody is the same. Difference is
normal!!
It´s ok to be different

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Socialisation is a process and the way we perceive the world
and how we behave varies over time. The reason is that
perceptions, behaviour and values do change over time.

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CHAPTER 2
Stereotypes, Prejudice
and Discrimination

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Identities are defined in groups, but neither people nor groups are
isolated.
Identities are also acquired
through comparison with other
people, groups or cultures.
Stereotypes emerge from this social perception and the
socialisation processes. Prejudice and discrimination are installed
based on them.

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It would be good to understand what is the relationship between
stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination in order to identify
how they function and avoid their negative effects in interaction
with other groups and cultures.
Let’s start by defining each of these concepts.

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Stereotypes are the result of assigning identical characteristics to
any person of a group, regardless of the real variations that exist
between members of that group.
It belongs to the realm of thought
.

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From an early age, we learn to assign those identical
characteristics, through the family, the media, etc..
Stereotyping is not necessarily a bad thing;
it is often only
a way of simplifying
our view of the world,
and we all do it.

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Stereotypes are potentially dangerous when we cannot see
individual differences within a group of people.
Stereotypes sometimes serve to rationalize (justify) the hostility
felt by a person towards certain groups.

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A prejudice is a negative and hostile attitude towards a person,
identified as belonging to a group, by the mere fact of belonging to
that group.
It belongs to the field of emotion.
Prejudice guides our emotions in a negative way and prevents
us from neutrally reflecting on individuals or groups.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO6PQHGXnIk

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Prejudices are generally cultural , or in other words, they
have also been acquired either through the media or the
education we have received.
(Nobody is born racist)

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Discrimination is negative behaviour when treating people,
motivated by their belonging to a social group or category.
It belongs to the field of behaviour

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The most common forms of discrimination are race, religion,
nationality, ideology, political or trade union, gender, economic
status, social status or physical characteristics
(health conditions) (age) (physical characteristics) (pregnancy)
(sexual preferences) (disability) (national origin) (ethnic origin) (gender)

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Relationship between stereotypes, prejudice and
discrimination:
As we have seen, a stereotype is equivalent to a belief or opinion,
prejudice to a negative attitude towards a group and discrimination
to negative treatment of people by the mere fact of belonging to a
group.
Although stereotypes do not always generate prejudice and
prejudices do not always lead to discrimination, the fact is that it is
most likely to go that way if we are not aware of the danger of not
seeing people and only seeing our stereotypes.

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What can you do to combat prejudice?
- Discover and acknowledge your own biases. Talk to other
people to discover them. If you have ever been discriminated
against, how did you feel?
- Actively combat these prejudicial beliefs. What is the basis
of your way of thinking? How many people belonging to the
prejudged group do you know?
- Develop empathy. This means being able to put yourself in
another person’s shoes and know what they are feeling.
LEARNING CONTENT

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- Feeling good about yourself is important when accepting
those who are different, as you will not have to use them to
increase your self-esteem.
- Accept that you will not understand everything or you're not
going to share everything. Each group has its own customs.
-Do not be silent when you hear a joke or prejudiced
comment. Tell this person that you understand that the
intention was not to hurt anyone but that jokes are harmful to
many people.
LEARNING CONTENT

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- Value diversity in every way.
- Ask yourself this question: how would you react if, being
white, someone told you that he/she wants to know what the
people of your race are like? You would probably say that this
is an absurd question because there are millions of white
people and each of them is different. Therefore, why don´t
you think the same with respect to people of another race,
religion, sexual orientation, etc..? Are they all the same but
you are not?
LEARNING CONTENT

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CHAPTER 3
Cultural Adaptation and
Integration

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Social Media TechnologiesLearning Content
Adjusting to a new culture and environment is a natural and
individual process and may be accompanied by a variety of
reactions and feelings.
This adjustment process is known as the U Curve of
Cultural Adaptation and it is based on the following stages:
Stress Insomnia Loneliness
ANXIETY Homesickness Insecurity
Frustration Sadness FEAR

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It is usually experienced after arriving in a
new culture.
 Everything seems fascinating and you show
curiosity and interest in discovering the new
culture.
 You can deal easily with problems and
stress.
 You tend to focus on similarities between
your home culture and the new culture.
 Most people feel energetic and
HONEYMOON
STAGE

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 Perception of differences between your
home culture and the new culture.
 Conflicts occur with other people or
internally – in terms of comparing one´s
own values and behaviour with those of the
new culture.
 Feelings of being out of place, confusion,
anxiety, homesickness, frustration, anger
and loneliness.
CULTURE SHOCK
STAGE

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 You solve your conflicts and regain a
sense of appreciation of the new
culture.
 Better understanding of external and
internal resources that help to manage
demands and conflicts that may arise.
 Mixture of feelings regarding the first
two stages.
RECOVERY
STAGE

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 You become comfortable with the new
culture.
Understanding of the similarities and
differences between both cultures.
 Appreciation of the aspects of both
cultures that you wish to retain or include
in your life.
 It is characterised by a sense of
confidence, maturity, flexibility and
tolerance.
ADAPTATION
STAGE

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 It is experienced when returning to
own´s home culture.
 Detection of changes in oneself and
the home culture which may need a
new adjustment process.
 You feel your friends and family don´t
understand what you experienced and
how you have changed.
 Feelings of sadness and lack of
confidence, confusion.
REVERSE
CULTURE SHOCK
STAGE

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REVERSE
CULTURE SHOCK
STAGE
ADAPTATION
STAGE
RECOVERY
STAGE
CULTURE SHOCK
STAGE
HONEYMOON
STAGE

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Not all people go through each stage and do not necessarily
follow this order. The duration of culture shock will vary from
person to person.
Culture shock will be as big as the differences between
own´s own culture and the new culture.

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• If you experience culture shock, don´t be hard on yourself.
• It is a normal process in the intercultural experience.
• It means that you are aware of
cultural differences and that you are
beginning the process of adjusting to
your new cultural environment.
You are adapting your glasses!!

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Here are some recommendations to make the cultural
transition easier:
• Try to actively learn the new culture through observing,
listening and questioning.
• Learn and practice the local language.
• View yourself as an ambassador to show your home
culture.
• Don´t think of your cultural habits as “right” and other
people´s as “wrong”.

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• Try to previously identify the most shocking attitudes
which you may face at some point.
• Avoid quick judgments: Try to search for logical reasons
behind what seems strange, confusing or threatening in the
new context.
• Be willing to try new things and new experiences:
participate in cultural events, sports or the host social
community.

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• Exercising regularly and getting enough sleep helps to
keep your energy levels high.
• Instead of thinking of things as problems, try to think of
them as challenges.
• Set small or short-term goals and evaluate achievements.
• Stay in touch with friends and family to avoid feeling
isolated. Seek help if you feel too much stress.

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Social Media TechnologiesREFERENCES
Bibliography
“Developing Intercultural Awareness. A Cross-Cultural
Training Handbook”
Author: Knight, John M., Kohls, L. Robert
ISBN 978-1-877864-13-1
Webgraphy
http://www.nccccurricula.info/awareness/

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