(Re)conceptualizing Intercultural Communication in a Networked Society

New Media, Old Racisms: Twitter, Miss America, and Cultural Logics of Race

“…A third and final conclusion we wish to draw relates to the call for scholars to explore the ways in which new media affect intercultural communication as well as how culture affects new media communication (Smith Pfister & Soliz, 2011;Shuter, 2011Shuter, , 2012. As noted in the introduction, this controversy surrounding Davuluri's victory in the 2014 Miss America Pageant is only one in a regularly recurring pattern of such controversies of racist speech on social networking.…”

A DREAM Disrupted: Undocumented Migrant Youth Disidentifications with U.S. Citizenship

“…As Pfister and Soliz (2011) remarked, ''The internet has 'democratized' representation by allowing individuals to represent themselves and their various groups rather than simply being represented'' (p. 250), a benefit that must be considered in relation to the downsides of new media technologies, including the ways they can continue to facilitate existing relations of dominance (Herring, 1993;Morozov, 2011). Such technological advancements provide new and provocative forums for marginalized communities to utilize should they desire to (further) develop coalitional subjectivities.…”

“…Up until relatively recently, there has been little research in the field of intercultural communication addressing new media technology (Shuter, 2011). As computer-mediated campaigns such as the DREAM Now series, and Stories from the Frontlines demonstrate, social movement groups are democratizing intercultural communication by taking advantage of the opportunities for self-representation the internet affords (Pfister & Soliz, 2011). DREAMers, utilizing Citizen Orange's LGBT/Q-inspired online forum to post open-letters to the President, suggest some of the ways in which new media might be used as a communication tool in the development of coalitional subjectivity, but also as an innovative delivery mechanism for minoritarian subjects' rhetorical efforts.…”

Social Media and Interculturality: Promise, Threat or Mirror

“…Smith Pfister and Soliz (2011) argue that digital media are shaping intercultural communication through 1) 'publicity' and 'public fora', which obviate the boundaries of gatekeepers (who control what should and should not be said about other cultures); 2) multimodal 'contact spaces' that can be enriched with photos, videos, texts, audio and hyperlinks to enhance the effect of intercultural interaction; 3) the pattern of many-to-many communication, which 'blends' dialogue on a broad scale and supports the expression of a wide variety of opinions without artificial narrowing and 4) the ability of individuals to represent themselves and their various groups rather than simply being represented, which can 'ameliorate stereotypes and homogenous perceptions of cultural groups' (Smith Pfister and Soliz, 2011: 250). Moreover, social media could contribute to interculturality through the affordance of participation in debates.…”