Teoretické štúdie – Communication Today

Changes in Value Structures and the Importance of Intercultural Communication in Modern Society

Aleš Hes — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 19:49:25 +0000

ABSTRACT:

Current massive development of information and communication technologies increases the importance of global communication that is closely linked with changes in value structures of individual and distinct entities. Intercultural relations are mainly based on an exchange of values and life models that create the connection between various cultures, and search for ways of coexistence of distinct cultures with the aim to deepen mutual understanding and minimize the possibilities of communication interferences and ensuing conflicts. For example, the Europeans show a deeply rooted distrust towards foreigners that transforms into hatred in some European destinations (Balkan countries). The counterpart to this is the North American society that was formed thanks to massive immigration and can be considered a fully intercultural society. In order to start communicating in certain social and cultural environments, it is necessary to understand the interconnection of communication activities of different entities with their values and value structures as such understanding helps eliminate conflicts between different cultures. Respect for values and creation of value structures is not expressed only in legal and ethical standards but also in their setup and interpretation. The current intercultural society is strongly influenced by the American culture and so called “consumerism” leading to unjustified overconsumption. The key task here is therefore to perform a fair and factual classification of conditions under which the relationships with foreign cultures are formed with the aim to maintain their identity and cultural power of traditions. The paper therefore focuses on value structure development in globalizing society with the aim to find the most suitable
form of functional intercultural relationships among the distinct cultures in modern society. The outcome of this study indicates that the conflicts of current intercultural society are not based on a different level of civilization but mainly result from different values that are connected with the social, economic and cultural poverty and lack of education. Moreover, current society has developed a mechanism of various obtrusive, blatant recommendations and models of consumption people are overwhelmed with and maneuvered by into a life governed by consumption. Marketing and media play a major role in this mechanism. Their tools have shaken the trust of people into fair society (financial crises, war conflicts of 21st century) and resulted in a lack of responsibility and limited
development of traditional comfortable value structures of various cultures.

KEY WORDS:
communication, values , company, person, preference

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Influence of the Internet on the Cognitive Abilities of Man. Phenomenological and Hermeneutical Approac

Slavomír Gálik — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 19:31:23 +0000

ABSTRACT:
In this article, the authors study the influence of the Internet on human cognitive abilities using a phenomenological and hermeneutical approach. They characterize the Internet as an electronic or technological form of media communication facilitating nearly instantaneous and active dissemination of information, in particular image-based information. The authors study the Internet’s influence on the cognitive abilities of humans using a definition of the Internet as multilaterally connected information networks. Applying the theoretical approach, they reach the conclusion that newly formulated thinking strategies feature a network-like character to the detriment of the ability to observe, remember and other higher levels of thinking. The empirical approach is based on neurological and sociological studies which reveal the fact that new ways or strategies of thinking are being fixed in the brain, thereby driving long-term and permanent changes in human thinking.
In such a case, the inability to concentrate on one idea for an extended period of time in order to reach a deeper state of contemplation proves to be at risk. In connection to this, we may encounter, as the authors believe, symptoms of knowledge deficiency resulting from a loss of interest in linear, chronological thinking. The authors claim that knowing these risks should lead to a more careful and more critical approach to the Internet, or even Internet communication, which may partially mitigate its negative influence.

KEY WORDS:
phenomenology, hermeneutics, the Internet, cognitive processes, linear and non-linear thinking, consideration, memory, level of thinking

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Communication in Knowledge Transfer Management

Anna Zaušková — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 17:16:52 +0000

Innovations try to change the status quo, which is why markets resist them! A market’s hostility to innovations becomes stronger when market players are interconnected; each player will switch to a new product or service only when s/he believes others will do so, as well. To be successful, innovators have to realize system-wide switch of their business behavior to create environment, where many would adopt their innovations and believe they are better off because of it. It is feasible only if innovators master the process of knowledge transfer within their innovation activities. More than 50% of promising and good prepared innovation activities fail. Not due to organizations’ weaknesses in technology or organization, but due to their inability to handle properly the social and psychological aspects of processes which deal with the innovation’s solution. Therefore the organization’s executives must fully understand how technologies, people’s competencies, and internal processes in architecture together influence internal communication during the knowledge transfer that leads to the innovation solutions. It is a unifying vision of final innovation’s market launch that gives coherence to the plenty of creative ideas from different sources which gives an organizational sense to the idea exchange during internal communication within the knowledge transfer processes‘ performance. The paper deals with methods that will assure such knowledge transfer’s optimal efficiency.

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Předpoklady interkulturní komunikace

Marek Hrubec — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 17:13:31 +0000

The article deals with the issue of intercultural communication, especially concerning a potential for consensus among cultures by means of an intercultural dialogue on human rights. It is a contribution towards overcoming the confrontations among civilizations and to the eradication of the coercive imposing of human rights onto other cultures. The paper demonstrates that the intercultural promotion of human rights across individual cultures that recognize each other is one of the effective forms of resistance against people being misrecognized. However, this requires a formulation of human rights based on the values of individual cultures and the dialogue among them. The interpretation of the paper is a contribution to creating ‘unity in plurality’, i.e. a universality of human rights within the plurality of cultures.

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Sociálne uznanie v globálnom priestore: možnosti a limity mediálnej reflexie

Martin Solík — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 17:08:26 +0000

The study deals with the issues of social recognition in global space, focusing on its media reflection. Even though recognition is one of the key terms discussed by contemporary Philosophy – and by Social Sciences as a whole – it tends to be reflected and formulated mostly on interpersonal or local levels. The authors put special emphasis on the problem of solidarity in the context of recognition, pointing out that solidarity, as a form of recognition, is not associated with any adequate parallels behind the borders of national states – this fact is obvious mostly in transnational economy. Taking into account this basic assumption, the study aims to articulate extraterritorial recognition of the possessors of social rights on international and transnational levels of justice. It is obvious that people living in countries of the ‘Third World’ are not able to express their disagreement through ways and means typical for the Western civilization. Their fights for recognition also represent fighting for water, food, shelter, etc. The authors therefore point out the problem related to thematic agenda of the media, which demonstrates the possibilities and limits of media reflection – they have to select between large amounts of different events and news, and thus pay attention only to a limited number of information, missing out the problems associated with absent solidarity on a global scale. In addition, opportunities and limits of media communication linked to articulation of the global fights for social recognition cannot be omitted, especially in the context of following argumentation of possible scenarios that focus on re-formulation of public interests. The authors claim that national states should use their influence in global and transnational organizations, and media need to trengthen their information function in order to offer relevant information about important events related to the ‘Third World’ countries. However, economic interests of transnational corporations seem to be one of the limits of this process. Even though we are able to witness the dynamic development progress of alternative information sources, their credibility has not been able to match the level of influence of global information networks yet.

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Critical Thinking and the Challenges of Internet

Alexander Plecner — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 16:53:58 +0000

In this article, the author addresses some challenges to information searches and information evaluation which were brought by the Internet. Large segments of audience are exaggerating their awareness and do not realize that their online behavior is driven more by emotions than by critical assessment of primary sources. The result is growing popularity of conspiracy theories, pseudoscience, propaganda, and alternative medicine. These are all examples of biased reasoning. Due to scientists, scholars, teachers, and journalists, this trend can be considered as a potential threat to public health and democracy. Publics incapable of informed choices can be manipulated to support radical political utopia or to reject evidence based treatments. Some basic principles of media literacy, scientific literacy and critical thinking are outlined. They can be used as tools for raising awareness, enhancing reasoning and adopting more objective perspective. This article is based on assumption that behind irrational beliefs there often lies anxiety, precondition for distrust derived from childhood. Not only general users of the Internet tend to overestimate their competence in domains of their interest (so called Dunning-Kruger effect), their behavior may be affected by unrecognized emotional agenda (cautious monitoring of environment for danger, suspicious attitude towards authority figures and official sources of information). The article is enclosed with some recommendation how to evaluate information sources on the Internet and how to be more empathetic in online discussions in order to inspire to reasonable and healthy choices.

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Právo na opravu a odpoveď podľa tlačového zákona

Ján Drgonec — Fri, 02 May 2014 07:13:34 +0000

The right to make corrections and the right to reply – in some countries are these rights protected by their constitutions as the fundamental rights. These rights in Slovakia in case of the print media are guaranteed by the Press Law. The adoption of the law protecting the right to make corrections and the right to reply against the print media was strongly objected by the mass media as well as by the parliamentary political parties belonging to the opposition. The public discussion on the draft of the Press Law was managed in a misleading manner. No attention was paid to many issues of real relevance. Hence, the National Council (the Slovak parliament) approved the law which does not cover the legal status of foreign publishers and press agencies. The enforcement of right to make corrections and the right to reply is poor, if the obliged person ignores the entitled person with his/her requirement for publishing of the correction or the reply. A series of other issues identified within this paper are waiting for a binding interpretation by the competent governmental authorities in the phase of application of the Press Law. It is up to the judiciary within its case-law on right to make corrections and the right to reply.

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Vývojové trendy americkej mainstreamovej filmovej produkcie

Jana Radošinská — Fri, 02 May 2014 07:10:37 +0000

The paper deals with the contemporary development trends in American mainstream movie production. Basic assumption of this text is examining mainstream movie production as one of the most commercially successful segments of the media industry, together with the business of culture and entertainment. The author reflects broader economic, historical and organizational aspects of Hollywood production aimed at the mainstream audiences, as well as the socio-cultural significance of the meanings perceived by movie-goers. Therefore, the paper examines the mainstream Hollywood production in all complexity, from the viewpoint of production and creative mechanisms, but also in the context of social meanings associated with given category of film works referring to favoured motives and thematization of everyday reality in contemporary globalized society. The author defines current mainstream movie production as part of media culture influenced by entertaining visuals, intertextuality, genre hybridization, tendencies to use seriality and parody.

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Discipline And Punish?

Miloš Mistrík — Fri, 02 May 2014 07:03:13 +0000

Regulatory authorities in the whole Europe are moving within the limits of administrative law, so they have to ask the question about the objective of their work and the functions fulfilled by the sanctions. We are analyzing the most important ones. One of the most important functions of media regulation is a prophylactic one. The second very important is if something appears in the broadcasting stream more or less only for a short period of time, but it does not mean that it cannot have devastating impact on civil, political and sexual ethics. That because they have the function to name this case. The naming function may be meaningful not only for the audience, but also for those preparing the program and it could lead to a prophylactic function. The naming function is also linked to the function to orientate the audience in the value system. The statements made by the regulatory authority may in this way reach the education. For media education it is in fact critical to get people oriented in the world of media, and to teach them to stay detached, not to damage their own and social values. Last but not least we often see people turning to the regulatory authority with their complaints that are not specified in any way, they do not show any interest in a response, they simply need to moan at the right place. Organizations, management, or political entities also use this ventilation function sometimes. So, the ventilation function acts as a safety valve. Nobody expects broadcasters to behave voluntarily and without exceptions in a way that no sanctions would need to be applied to their programs. It is expected that it would happen, but the broadcasters would select authorities from among themselves for the correction, which would supervise compliance with the jointly selected principles. It seems to be less reliable to create regulation from the “bottom”. This system is really attractive, but it also has its own and not negligible risks. There would also be someone responsible for “discipline and punishment” from the “top”. It is mainly for this reason that the regulation authorities are here.

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Walter Benjamin a nová média

Jaromír Volek — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 09:06:22 +0000

The article deals with reading of Walter Benjamin’s works focused on new media. The article puts specific emphasis on the notions of ‘aura’ and ‘flaneur,’ two well-known themes in Benjamin´s scholarship. The article argues for the inseparability of old and new, modern and postmodern theory of media and illustrates their close connections in Benjamin’s texts. The author presents a sceptical view of the idea that the advent of digital new media is connected by necessity to a major historical break. He concludes that Benjamin’s theory of new media is highly useful for describing and understanding the current new media communication and subjectivity.

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