Rethinking the circuit of culture: How participatory culture has transformed cross-cultural communication

Abstract

This paper explores the influence of digital communicationand in particular social mediaon cross-cultural communication, based on the Circuit of Culture model. Scholarly literature supports the notion that social media has changed the speed at which we communicate, as well as removed traditional (geographical) boundaries around crosscultural campaigns. Since the introduction of digital media, the role of the public relations practitioner has become more strategic in order to maintain relevance with even more diverseand dispersed-audiences. Large scale campaigns, like the Human Rights Campaign to support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) rights, have seen messages spread far beyond the country of origin, and with that, demonstrate the ability to affect advocacy campaigns in other countries. The authors argue that instead of acting as cultural intermediaries, public relations practitioners must become cultural curators, with the skills to create meaning from audiences, who are now content creators in their own rights, and encourage a true participatory environment that sees cultural values shared as part of an organic exchange process.

Left powerless: A qualitative social media content analysis of the Dutch #breakthesilence campaign on negative and traumatic experiences of labour and birth

“…The #genoeggezwegen campaign is a form of hashtag activism: the fighting for, or supporting of, a cause by using hashtags as the primary method, with the aim of raising awareness and evoking debate through social media [15]. Hashtag activism motivates citizens to share their experiences and opinions on social media, including unfiltered details and feelings [16].…”

Acculturation of Brazilian NFL Fans in Virtual Interactions

“…Individuals head towards a sense of community that gives them the sense of belonging by gathering to others in order to participate, discuss, receive or consume an object or specific good (de Souza- Leão & Moura, 2018;Tombleson & Wolf, 2017). Among members of participatory cultures, one finds fans who have been the focus of Social Sciences studies for more than two decades.…”

Enjoying the NFL in Brazil through social TV

“…In this new social and cultural context, individuals look for information from diverse sources, keep permanently connected and interact virtually, in a contributive process called participatory culture (Jenkins, 2008;Tombleson & Wolf, 2017). Cultural transformations cybernetically established are vital to the process of creating participatory cultures.…”