In Search of a Truly Global Network: The Opportunities and Challenges of On-line Intercultural Communication

Abstract

There can be little doubt that the rise of the Internet in the past decade had led to a dramatic increase in intercultural contact and communication. However, it has been suggested that the reduced social dimension of the medium will lead to more balanced and effective interaction between members of different cultures and that its multicultural character will naturally produce a more tolerant, intercultural environment. This paper questions these views by looking at various aspects of cultural difference and examining how these may pose problems for on-line intercultural communication. Consequences for foreign language education are considered.