+ The US is a nation of immigrants, comprised of people from diverse backgrounds and ethnic groups. Americans pride themselves on their individuality, their entrepreneurial attitude and a positive, optimistic outlook on life.

+ There are many stereotypes about the way people from different regions behave:

Southerners are known for their “Southern Hospitality.” They are generally polite, warm and friendly. They are also thought to appreciate a slower pace of life and are more relationship-focused than people from other parts of the country.

Texans exude self-confidence and are proud of the fact that they were once an independent country. They tend to be “larger than life” and often equate bigger with better.

West Coasters, or people from the west coast, are thought to be casual, free-spirited and liberal.

East Coasters are considered to be fast-paced, efficient, formal and comparatively conservative.

+ Americans can be superficially friendly when first meeting others. They may frequently say “hi” or “how are you?” to a lot of people, which is a sign of politeness and an egalitarian outlook. Remember, “how are you doing?” is usually a greeting, not necessarily a question.

+ When leaving a group, Americans may give a group wave or say farewell to everyone at once rather than to each person individually. This is an efficient way of departing, and in business settings a sign of the transactional nature of Americans.

+ From childhood, Americans are raised to see themselves as separate individuals who are the masters of their destiny. As such, they expect to be held accountable for their decisions. This can make them appear self-centered to people from less individualistic cultures. They may presume that people from other cultures feel the same way and may be surprised when they realize that people from other cultures are group- or community-oriented.

- from RW3′s CultureWizard™ Country Profiles

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An Egyptian Protester (GETTY)

Take Twitter for example: the very brief essence of a tweet does not blend well with Arab cultures known for elaborate communication styles. Directness is the essence of text messaging via mobile phones, and these same cultures are anything but direct when it comes to sharing information. Facebook is characterized by its openness and these are cultures that never valued transparency and the absence of privacy. Taken together, social media is a very egalitarian form of communication and its users have come to value the individual freedom of expression it represents.

It’s not at all surprising that democracy is now more of an appreciated value in these changing societies. It’s also not surprising that young people are at the forefront of these movements because they are the ones who’ve most quickly embraced social media and adopted the cultural values it represents.

Below are articles from various sources providing further research into these observations:

“Facebook’s Growth in the Arab World Is Surging with Demands for Political Change” (Knowledge Wharton)

“The First Twitter Revolution?” (Foreign Policy)

“Why not call it a Facebook revolution?” (CNN)

“Social media revolution flourishes amid conflict” (FLOR-ALA)

What can you say about the ways social media is influencing cultural change in North Africa and the Middle East? We welcome your comments.

Mike

RW3 CultureWizard

Amidst the uproar about the vuvuzela’s damaging effects to one’s hearing and the loss of concentration players have suffered (and the annoyance to viewers), there are also many people supporting its use for symbolic, cultural reasons. Below is a selection of quotations from various people involved in South African football/soccer and the World Cup.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, a member of the England Supporter’s Band said

the plastic instruments were part of the local culture and should not be banned from inside stadiums…I bet there is not a single South African player complaining about the vuvuzela. They see it as more than just a noise, it’s about the whole spirit of the thing.

A story in The Express Tribune, a Pakistani periodical, describes that

…some commentators have defended the vuvuzela as being an integral and unique part of South African football culture and say it adds to the atmosphere of the game. BBC sports commentator Farayi Mungazi said the sound of the horn was the ‘recognised sound of football in South Africa’ and is ‘absolutely essential for an authentic South African footballing experience’.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter commented,

I have always said that Africa has a different rhythm, a different sound. I don’t see banning the music traditions of fans in their own country. Would you want to see a ban on the fan traditions in your country? We should not try to Europeanise an African World Cup.

We’d love to hear other perspectives on the topic, so leave a comment below. And, click here to read 10 interesting facts about the vuvuzela from the BBC.

Mike

RW3 CultureWizard

-Mike Schell

Beijing

According to the blog, “[McGregor] believes that the arrogance that was once a less-than-appealing feature of U.S. businesses abroad has been adopted by the Chinese at an alarming rate.” These attitudes represent a smaller, yet powerful portion of the country. Oftentimes, culture is influenced by entities of power, e.g. industry and media, so the implications of a more arrogant sphere of business may gradually prove to be an influential force in popular, mass Chinese culture.

Among other observations, McGregor added that Chinese officials are increasingly implementing policies to favor Chinese businesses over foreign businesses, and that the government is encouraging “indigenous innovation.” The competition for market share will be increasingly important for indigenous organizations in China, but are these observations a foreshadow of Chinese hegemony? How can cultural awareness help us understand Chinese attitudes towards the world, and towards globalization?

Click here to read more.

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Delving into the meaning of cultural awareness, the “Golden Rule” of “do unto others what you would like to be done unto you” might best be modified to “do unto others as they would like you to do unto them.” Of course, this means you need to know a little about their cultural values and preferences. The important thing is to recognize that culture represents intrinsic beliefs and values, which impact behavior. Combined with personal style, being attuned to these factors allows us to be culturally astute and professionally successful in 2010 and beyond.

Mike Schell

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