International Communication

1
International Communication

• Definitions and Characteristics

2
IC - Definition

• communication which occurs across international
  borders.
• a.k.a. transborder or transnational
  communication.

3
IC - Origins

• no precise origins
• existed as soon as communication began between
  nations
• existed even during ancient empires.

4
IC - Characteristics

• Intentionality
• IC can be intentional or unintentional--
  communication can be directed purposely across an
  international border (VOA, Radio Russia) or it
  can spill across it (spillover of US radio / TV
  signals into Mexico, Canada)
• spillover is more problematic than intentional.

5
IC - Characteristics

• Channels
• IC can be public (broadcasting- international
  high freq. SW). Public channels are not assigned
  to individual services
• IC can be private (phone)

6
IC - Characteristics

• Technology
• Early technology time-biased- media that were
  difficult to transport, but lasted for decades
  (carved stone, clay tablet) and space-biased-
  media that were easily transported , lightweight
  and disposable (papyrus).
• Today Radio waves, wires, cables film,
  audio/video cassettes

7
IC - Characteristics

• Content
• news
• entertainment
• public affairs by radio/TV
• data, software by international data and database
  companies
• voice, telegraph, faxes, telex

8
IC - Characteristics

• Culture
• allows dominant countries to impose their
  cultural views?
• cultural imperialism? Issue is dominance per se-
  result of commercial dominance, not political
  intent based in the belief that information and
  entertainment were commodities to sell.

9
IC - Characteristics

• Politics
• IC can be overtly political (VOA, Radio Moscow)-
  designed to present official views
• or subtly political (debates in U.N.)- through
  such debates, international policies such as
  assigning electromagnetic frequencies, technical
  parameters for new technologies (HDTV, DVD, etc.)
  are set.