The relationship between culture and communication is fundamental: cultures are created through communication.
The connection between culture and communication is profound and inseparable. At its core, communication is not just a way to transmit cultural information; it is the very engine that drives the formation and continuation of culture itself.
As the provided reference highlights:
"First, cultures are created through communication; that is, communication is the means of human interaction through which cultural characteristics— whether customs, roles, rules, rituals, laws, or other patterns—are created and shared."
This means that culture doesn't exist independently but is actively constructed and maintained through our interactions.
Communication: The Mechanism of Culture Creation and Sharing
Communication serves as the essential human interaction process by which all cultural characteristics are born and disseminated. It's the dynamic force that allows groups of people to develop shared meanings, values, and practices.
Consider the role of communication in shaping various aspects of culture:
- Creation of Customs & Rituals: Through repeated communication, shared experiences, and collective participation guided by language and behavior, specific customs or rituals become established within a group.
- Establishing Roles & Rules: Societal roles, group norms, and formal rules are defined, negotiated, and enforced through various forms of communication, from laws and written guidelines to verbal discussions and non-verbal cues indicating approval or disapproval.
- Sharing Knowledge & Beliefs: Core cultural knowledge, historical narratives, beliefs, and values are transmitted across generations and within communities through storytelling, education, conversation, and various media.
- Developing Laws & Patterns: Even formal structures like laws are outcomes of communication processes (debate, documentation), and everyday patterns of behavior are reinforced or altered through ongoing communication and interaction.
In essence, communication is the primary tool humans use to interact, build relationships, exchange ideas, resolve conflicts, and collectively make sense of their world. These cumulative interactions and exchanges solidify into the shared understandings and behaviors that we recognize as culture. Without communication, the complex web of customs, rules, roles, and patterns that constitute a culture could neither be formed nor sustained.
