International connectivity: a survey of attitudes about cultural and national differences encountered in computer‐mediated communication
| Published date | 01 March 1993 |
| Pages | 193-195 |
| Date | 01 March 1993 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045230 |
| Author | Ruth Ryan |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Brief Communications
International connectivity:
a survey of attitudes about
cultural and national
differences encountered in
computer-mediated
communication
Ruth Ryan
School
of
Education,
Liberal
Arts and
Science,
University
of
Alaska
Southeast,
11120 Glacier
Highway,
Juneau,
AK
99801,
USA
jsrmr@alaska.bitnet
1.
Introduction
We live in a multinational world, one with many languages,
cultures,
races and nationalities; yet, our nations are separated
by geographical, political and cultural differences. In recent
years,
individuals all over the world have discovered com-
puter-mediated communication (CMC) as a means of con-
necting with peers, colleagues and family. CMC and the
presence of international CMC networks provide
a
collabora-
tive atmosphere in which researchers in many fields can
bridge the cultural and national differences that separate
them. From their home or office computers, they link their
minds with contemporaries across the city or across the globe.
As the messages are sent and received, individuals are identi-
fied and recognized by their user-ID, and differences in na-
tionality, ethnicity, age, gender and physical ability are not
known unless divulged.
Throughout several years of CMC practice, I have often
wondered about the attitudes of others within this communi-
cation medium that appears to disguise a person's appearance
and cultural identity. At a time when conflict and unrest be-
tween nations results in late night bombing raids, unified na-
tional boycotts and multi-nation world wars, I have often
thought that communicating through a medium that dimin-
ishes differences between individuals is ideal.
To
resolve
dif-
ferences and share ideas that enhance the quality of life with-
out prejudice and power struggles unrelated to the issue at
hand would seemingly improve communications among na-
tions at war. With today's technology and the availability of
CMC,
the ability to interact without regard to skin colour,
ethnic background or gender differences would seemingly fa-
cilitate conflict resolution through intelligent exchanges of
points of
view.
It was with such thoughts in mind that I came
upon a central question for this study: to what extent are cul-
tural and national differences evident and considered signifi-
cant by users of the online environment? In July
19921
devel-
oped and distributed a survey to a selection of BITNET
discussion groups where topics focused on the nature of
elec-
tronic communication. During the two-week sample collec-
tion period I received exactly 100 responses from interested
international electronic mail users in 24 countries.
2.
Surveying the cultural differences
A listing of nationalities represented in this study shows a
diverse population of E-mailers, who may or may not be liv-
ing in their birth country or the country in which they claim
citizenship (as illustrated by the difference between 64% US
residents vs. 45% Americans.) Ninety percent of the respon-
dents are Caucasians and 45% are American; however, the
range of other ethnic backgrounds indicates the broad reach
that electronic mail provides to those who wish to communi-
cate outside their geographic and national boundaries. Sixty-
seven percent of the respondents are male and 82% have a
graduate degree or degrees or have completed some graduate
school. Forty-three percent are involved in higher education
(student or faculty) and another
31%
hold a job in the com-
puter field. These percentages very likely represent the upper-
middle class segment of the world's societies
who have
access
to computers and higher education. Probably excluded alto-
gether, unfortunately, are people in less-developed Third
World countries who spend a significant portion of their days
struggling to feed themselves and their families; they are less
likely to have access to higher education, much less a com-
puter and the other necessary electronic connections to com-
municate online.
A listing of ages reveals a significant representation of
young adults in the 19-30-year age group (31%). Of these,
47%
are employed in the computer science field, 33% are
students and another
20%
are working in their chosen profes-
sion. These figures perhaps represent the traditional-age col-
lege/graduate students and those just establishing a career.
The largest percentage of respondents (53%) falls into the
31-49-year age group, of which
31%
works in the computer
science field. The other categories are as follows: professors
(25%),
researchers (8%), teachers (7%), library science (7%)
and
a
few professionals in other
fields.
Those 50 and older, the
other predominant age
group,
are primarily professors (50%),
computer scientists (14%) and teachers (14%).
The Electronic Library, Vol.
11,
No. 3, June 1993 193
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