The Importance Of Globalization And Intercultural Communication

The world today is characterized by constant growth, expansion, and intensification of social relations between different countries and cultures (Chen, 2012). Due to these different cross-cultural encounters, the world is defined by being globalized and interconnected. This means that different societies around the world have established more than ever close contact with each other. This can be evidenced in the evolution of telecommunications, in the multinationals that are part of the global market, the development of aviation, the internet, etc. (Kuryleva & Boeva, 2010).

Specifically, the globalization phenomenon has led to the mobilization of people around the world, allowing the growth of cultural contacts in people’s social networks and

Thus, through new media, societies have been generating interdependence and interconnection to more complex levels; as new media, influence the information content and the way people understand and process the messages that constitute human communication (Chen, 2012).

But what it means living in a globalized and interconnected world? According to Lebedko (2014), being interrelated means that a new form of communication has emerged between the societies, the intercultural communication. This concept it is understood as the interaction of behavioural patterns, cognitive, cultural, emotional, and pragmatic aspects in communicative situations, between diverse cultures. However, to further understand intercultural communication, it is necessary to deepen what it means

Likewise, Hong et al. (2003) define culture as mental constructs design by a society to interpret unknown stimuli. Similarly, for Featherstone (1996), culture is considered as a network of meanings that influence cognitions, feelings, and actions of the society members. Additionally, this author argues that culture is a way of life, in which social groups humanize and socialize nature, through value systems, social networks and perceptions that they create to explain the world and the phenomena that surround them. On the contrary, Wang (2007) states that social agents are responsible for creating culture. Individuals are not just influenced by their context, they are active creators of culture, who are able to accept, reject and / or integrate the influences that come from their cultural