There is increasing awareness of the development of newer "smart" and more interactive media, at precipitate speed, in many parts of the world. The concept of change-as opposed to continuity-is central to the increasing interest in digital media. However, this focus has not yet been matched by substantive theoretical discussions, or by extensive empirical examinations of computer-mediated communication and intercultural communication. Against such a backdrop, this volume offers theoretical insights, fresh evidence and rich applications as it assesses the nature of digital culture(s) in order to address assumptions about the present state of mediated global society(ies) and their future trajectory. Chapters explore what happens in praxis when digital media are implemented across cultures and are contested and negotiated within complex local and political conditions. The book showcases interpretative and critical research from voices with diverse backgrounds, from locations around the world. As such, this volume presents a rich and colorful tapestry that provides opportunities for comparative analyses and deepened international understandings of digital media connections, particularly in the areas of identity, community and politics.
«New Media in Intercultural Communication comes just at the right time. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, audio and video download sites such as iTunes, YouTube, and Netflix, not to mention blogs, search browsers like Google, wi-fi technology, TiVo, mobile communication devices, and teleconferencing systems such as Skype continue to demonstrate their indispensability across wide-ranging and uneven modernities. Human dependency on an ever-adaptive yet consumer-practical digital communication infrastructure is deepening. Thus far, however, we know very little about how new media transform society and culture, and even less about how individuals and groups of people think about themselves and others differently, as a result. Tried and true intercultural communication theories are not easily retrofitted to address new media contexts and environments. Nor do theories of the Internet always recognize just how fundamental culture is to communication. But, New Media in Intercultural Communication does. Fortunately, it transports us into a 21st Century way of thinking about culture, communication, and new media.» (Kent A. Ono, Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)