Intercultural and Interpersonal Communication Through Social Media論

文Intercultural and Interpersonal Communication
Through Social Media:
A Facebook Incident Case Study

Jon DUJMOVICH

要

旨異文化間，個人間のコミュニケーションは，多くのレベルで障害や難題を突きつけられている。加えて，インターネットの登場，ソーシャルメ
ディアの流行，マルチメディアのメッセージ発信サービス（MMS）の利用に伴い，ミスコミュニケーションが増大してさらなる対立が制御不能となる気運が生まれつつある。
以下の異文化間事例研究は，誤解，不和，対立が制御不能となりかねな
い一例として用いられるよう考案されている。本研究は，クラスルームで用いるための物語り形式で提示され，コミュニケーション不全に陥る際の，文化，時間，サイバー空間の諸側面にわたる特徴を追跡調査する。物語に続き，教師のための参考文献付コメントに加え，学習者のための学習・討論用の設問も提示される。

Abstract
Intercultural and interpersonal communication is fraught withobstacles and challenges on many levels. Additionally, following theadvent of the Internet, recent popularity of social media sites, anduse of Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS) for daily communi-

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No. 30cation, miscommunication has multiplied creating many more
prospects for conflicts to spiral out of control.
The cross-cultural case study below is presented in story
format for use in the classroom. The case study follows characters
across dimensions of cult ure, time, and cyberspace, as
communication breaks down and interpersonal conflict escalates.
Following the story are suggested study and discussion questions
for learners, as well as debriefing notes with references for
instructors.
Keywords (キーワード): intercultural communication (異文化間コミュニケーション), interpersonal communication (個人間コミュニケーション), miscommu-

nication (ミスコミュニケーション), face-saving (フェイス（面子）の保全), social
media (ソーシャルメデイア), conflict spirals (対立の悪循環), perspective shifting(視点移動), cross-cultural etiquette (異文化間エチケット), Multimedia Messaging
Services (MMS) (マルチメディアのメッセージ発信サービス)

INTRODUCTIONAs technology advances and makes greater inroads in our daily lives, the ways andmeans in which we routinely communicate with one another shift and change as well.
We now live in an era where we enjoy instant access into the lives of family, friends,
coworkers, and strangers via various social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Line,
Linkedin, Mixi, etc.
According to Nielsen State of the Media: The Social Media Report 2012, the rapid
growth and popularity of social media sites translates to consumers spending “moretime on social networks than on any other category of sites—roughly 20 percent of their
total time online via personal computer (PC), and 30 percent of total time online via
mobile” (http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/newswire/2012/social-media-report-2012-socialmedia-comes-of-age.html). We often hear of the benefits of these new forms of online
communication and socializing, there are however numerous pitfalls as well. For example,
in a study of Israeli youth and Internet use, it was found that conflicts with individual’sfamily members increased the more time an individual spends online socializing (Mesch,48

Intercultural and Interpersonal Communication Through Social Media

2006).
As the tools to communicate bring us more information and larger audiences, theunprecedented access to personal information through social media sites has also givenrise to a type of voyeurism with allows us to gain intimate details about others without
having to engage in face-to-face communication (Munar, 2010). As much as social
media has opened up avenues of information and communication, it has created new
barriers, increased misunderstandings, and created a lot more miscommunication as
well. Misreading intentions, misinterpreting the situation or nuance of a post, spiralling
conflicts, and new and unclear etiquette regarding social media are just some of the
problems one regularly encounters in today’s online world (Ting-Toomey & Chung, 2012,
Munar, 2010, Wilmot, 2009).
The case study presented below is set in Japan and designed to illustrate multiple
dilemmas for those engaged in cross-cultural communication within a social media
context. The incident outlined can be utilized for study alone, in combination with theguided questions for discussion, or as a resource tool for instructors. The case presented
below can be photocopied, read in class or as a homework assignment for students. There
are also useful study and discussion questions, and references provided for the instructor.

CASE—CHARACTER PROFILES- Jerry, Samantha (North American couple. 42, 35)- Alyssa (Jerry and Samantha’s daughter, celebrating her 3rd birthday)- Tom (North American, 24. Friend of both Jerry and Frank)- Frank (Fijian, 57. Restaurateur)- Naomi (Japanese, 33. Friend of Samantha)

CHARACTER BACKGROUNDFrank’s restaurant, “Sunflower” has been in business for 7 years. Each year heholds a BBQ event on the anniversary of his restaurant’s opening and to thank his friends
and customers. He usually hires a band, has a wading pool and games for kids, andeverything is all-you-can-eat. The event is open to the public, tickets are sold at the door
or can be bought in advance. Frank is new to Facebook and uses it regularly, posting

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No. 30information about his menu or food he eats. Frank admits to being from the “analog
generation” and does not fully use or understand all the site functions.
Jerry and Samantha plan to celebrate their daughter Alyssa’s birthday by invitinga few friends with families out to a restaurant or park. They learn about the BBQ party at
Frank’s restaurant and decide it would be convenient and fun to celebrate their daughter’sbirthday there since it sounds like it will be a festive environment. Samantha has nevereaten at the restaurant and Jerry had lunch there once many years ago. The owner is thesame, but the place has changed and expanded since he last visited. Jerry uses Facebook
infrequently, Samantha uses it regularly.
Tom, an avid Facebook user, submits multiple posts daily and stays abreast of “whatis happening” mainly through social media. Tom reads all Frank’s timeline posts andFrank appears on Tom’s regular newsfeed. Tom purchased his ticket to Frank’s BBQ
event well in advance. He attended last year and enjoyed meeting people from all walksof life, which is very unusual for him in Japan. Tom also received an invitation to join
Jerry and Samantha to celebrate their daughter’s birthday at Frank’s restaurant via a
Facebook event post. Tom is uncertain how to respond as he sees a clash between Jerrycelebrating his daughter’s birthday at Frank’s restaurant and the anniversary BBQ.
Naomi is a good friend of Samantha and acquaintance to Tom and Jerry. She is notplanning to attend Frank’s event but would like to celebrate Alyssa’s birthday with thefamily and has already prepared a gift. Naomi uses Facebook as well, often posting on
Samantha’s wall.

CASE
Monday—In the morning Jerry and Samantha make a decision about their daughter’sbirthday celebration. After weeks of discussion, they finally decide to go out to Sunflower
restaurant with friends and family. They heard from several friends about a BBQ party
at the restaurant and since some of their friends had already bought tickets and are goinganyway, their attitude is, why not kill two birds with one stone? They feel it would be aperfect place to go.
The two made plans in the morning to contact friends and family and let them know
they will be going there on the weekend to celebrate Alyssa’s third birthday. Samantha
was in charge of finding a cake and contacting the restaurant to make a reservation, and50

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Jerry would contact everyone to inform them of the plan.
Jerry, being busy, decides the best way to disseminate information is through the
popular social media site, Facebook. Since an events page can provide exact details,
maps, photos, and discussion all on one page, and for everyone to see, it seemed theperfect platform. Plus he can send out invitations through the page. He logs on just before
breakfast and quickly creates an event page for Alyssa. Jerry follows the instructions
for new features, uploads a photo of Alyssa and gives it the title “Princess Alyssa’s 3rd
Birthday”. Once submitted, the site created a banner at the top of the event page. Not what
he expected but “looks good” Jerry thought, so he left it “as is” and sent it off to all theirfriends. He then ate his breakfast, and proceeded with his day.
Samantha is busy this morning as well, so she calls the restaurant in the afternoon.
However since Frank is out, she leaves a message and Frank returns the call later in theday.
Samantha asks Frank about a reservation for the birthday party and Frank tells herthat the anniversary BBQ event on that day is very busy. The seating is on a first-comebasis and all outdoor, under tents, so they cannot reserve a space for large parties. He
goes on to say they are welcome to celebrate their daughter’s birthday at the event, but
the discounted advanced tickets are sold out and they will have to purchase tickets at thedoor. Samantha asks him if it would be alright to bring a birthday cake, or if a cake could
be purchased through the restaurant. Frank tells her his restaurant cannot provide one andgoes on to say, “A lot of families with children come to this anniversary BBQ and I don’t
want any children to feel left out. If just a few kids have cake and others don’t, it would
not be good”.
Samantha agrees, stating, “We would be willing to ensure there is enough cakefor all the kids” and the two discuss how much cake would be appropriate and logistics.
Samantha thanks Frank, and lets him know she will look into cake options and get backto him in a few days.
Jerry arrives at his office early and goes straight to work. During his morning break
he decides to check his Facebook account and see if there were any replies to his event
invitations. Jerry is surprised to see a post by Tom. Tom checked the box marked “maybe
attending” (even though Jerry knew Tom had tickets and was attending), Furthermore
there was a comment that simply said, “Are you sure Frank is ok with this?”Jerry is confused. “Why wouldn’t it be alright?” he thought. He tried contacting

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Tom by telephone twice that day to clarify the comment, but Tom could not be reached.
That evening Jerry arrives home and tells Samantha of post. She too is surprised andlogs into her account to see the page and read the post herself. She sees that her friend
Naomi indicated that she will be attending, so she writes Naomi a text message asking
her what she thought of Tom’s post.
Tuesday—Samantha receive a reply from Naomi stating “I don’t know why it wouldn’t
be okay either, it is a restaurant and business. Is it a closed anniversary party or is it open
to the public? You did ask the restaurant if it was okay, right?”
To which Samantha replies “Yes. Frank and I spoke on the phone and he said it
would be no problem. The event is open to the public.” She goes on to explain about thecake and reiterate that Frank said the birthday celebration would be ok.
“Then it should be fine. I don’t know what Tom is talking about. Has Jerry talked tohim?” replies Naomi.
Tom finally answers Jerry’s messages and the two of them arrange to meet at acoffee shop near Tom’s house after work. When they meet, Jerry asks Tom what he meantby the comment. Tom explains that he feels very awkward because Jerry and Samantha
seem to be taking over Frank’s party with a party of their own.
“It is like you are going to bring a lot of people and hijack the event for yourselves
after Frank has put all this effort and money into it,” said Tom.
At this point Jerry interrupts … “Whoa! What are you talking about!?! We are notbringing a lot of people and we are not taking over any party, we are just celebrating ourdaughter’s birthday at a restaurant. It just so happens the restaurant is also having an
event also so that makes the timing good, but it is still a business and people celebratebirthdays all the time in restaurants.”“You made an events page, with a banner!” replies Tom.
“So?” says Jerry, “If you read the page you’d see it says come help us celebrate
Alyssa’s birthday at Sunflower Restaurant’s anniversary BBQ. What is wrong with
that?”
During the course of the discussion Tom reveals he had called Frank very shortly
after the post went online to give Frank a “heads up” that Jerry created an event page andmade plans to bring a large group of people to the BBQ event. Hearing this Frank becamevery upset and was not looking forward to talking with Samantha and Jerry.

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Jerry feels that Tom has overstepped his boundaries and should not have become
involved in the matter. “Who does Tom think he is, the Facebook police? Besides
Samantha called and Frank said ok so what is Tom’s problem?” ponders Jerry. The more
he thinks about it, the more he feels Tom is wrong.
Tom can not believe that Jerry would take advantage of a friend’s hospitality, “Whodoes he think he is? It is like crashing a wedding, you just don’t do that. What nerve” hethinks.
The two part ways and do not speak to each other all week.

STUDY QUESTIONS- Tom uses Facebook a lot and Jerry very little, does that explain some of the conflict?
How?
- Was the “events page” of Facebook the best platform for Jerry to use to contact people
about the birthday party? Explain.
- What is the big deal about a banner having been created on the invitation page. Does it
look as if it was a professional event that was competing with the official event?
- Did Tom react too quickly to the post? Should he have contacted Frank or posted acomment?
- Why didn’t Frank seem more upset when he spoke with Samantha?
- Why didn’t Naomi feel the same way as Tom about the event page?
- Do you think the birthday party was held as planned? What happened?
- What role do you think each character’s culture played in the way each of them handled
the situation?

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION- Is there a basic etiquette for using social media sites?
- What are good manners for using; Facebook, Twitter, Line, or other social networksites?
- What happens when one misinterprets another’s actions or words online?
- What steps can we take to minimize miscommunication online?
- Do you use emoji pictographs (絵文字) often and do you limit yourself to the ones you

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- Have you ever received a message with an emoji pictograph and didn’t understand it orthought it was inappropriate or didn’t suit the context of the message?
- Is there too much access private or personal information on the internet?
- What does the term “digital voyeur” mean to you?

DEBRIEFING NOTESSocial Media & Etiquette themes to explore
analog vs. digital users

universal vs. context/culturally-bound manners

use of emoji pictographs, stickers

privacy issues

Intercultural Communication themes to explore
high context vs. low context communication (see, Bennett, Hall, Gudykunst)
direct vs. indirect communication (see Gudykunst, Hall, Trompenaars & HampdenTurner)
DI(C)E or ODICE method (see Bennett, Ting-Toomey)
Past, present, future orientation (see Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, Hall)“face saving” (see Ting-Toomey & Chung, Bennett)
monochronic vs. polychronic (see Hall, Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner)“reading the air” (空気よめない)
conflict spirals (see Wilmot)
multicultural manners ( see Dresser)
REFERENCES
Bennett, M. J. (Ed.). (1998). Basic concepts of intercultural communication: selected readings.
Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press.
Bennett, J. M., Bennett, M. J., & Allen, W. (2003). Developing intercultural competence in thelanguage classroom, in D. L. Lange & R. M. Paige eds., Culture as the core: Perspectives onculture in second language learning. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
Dresser, N. (1996). Multicultural manners: new rules of etiquette for a changing society. Singapore:John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Gudykunst, B. W. (Ed.). (2003). Cross-cultural and intercultural communication. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage Publications.
Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond culture. New York, NY: Anchor Books.

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Hall, E. T. (1966). The hidden dimension. New York, NY: Anchor Books.
Mesch, G. S. (2006). Family relations and the internet: Exploring family boundaries approach.
Journal of Family Communication. Volume 6, issue 2. 119–138.
Munar, A. M. (2010). Digital exhibitionism: The age of exposure. Culture Unbound, Journal of
Current Cultural Research. Volume 2. 401–422.
Nielson. (2012). State of the media: the social media report 2012. Retrieved from http://www.nielsen.
com/us/en/reports/2012/state-of-the-media-the-social-media-report-2012.html
Ting-Toomey, S., & Chung, L. C. (2012). Understanding intercultural communication. 2nd ed., New
York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Ting-Toomey, S. (1999). Communicating across cultures. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Trompenaars, F., Hampden-Turner, C. (1998). Riding the waves of culture: understanding diversity inglobal business. 2nd ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Wilmot, W. W. (2009). Communication spirals, paradoxes, and conundrums. In J. Stewart (Ed.),
Bridges not walls: A book about interpersonal communication. 10th ed. 450–466. New York,
NY: McGraw-Hill

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