Globalization and National Cultures

   Although the Internet connects people on a global level, people can also use it to form small groups with diverse political agendas. For this reason, the Internet's lack of centralized control makes some governments reluctant to let their citizens have Internet access. Nations such as Singapore, China, and Saudi Arabia attempt to censor sites for political and religious reasons. Governmental concern about how people will use the Internet is well founded. Ralph Nader reported that, in the United States, "rather than be the passive subjects of surveillance, citizens are using the Internet and other networks to place the government and corporations under greater scrutiny and to organize on a wide range of issues". A key factor in Internet activism is the ability of citizens to easily communicate with each other; the decentralized structure of the Internet facilitates this process.

   The Internet has been used by people in many nations to facilitate political communication. Long (1994) described how people in the war-torn city of Sarajevo, who where isolated without telephone or mail services, were able to send e-mail through a single phone line. "The makeshift e-mail system had been set up with the help of the Soros Foundation, whose founder, philanthropist and financier George Soros, believes fervently in making the world safe for open discussion and the free flow of information". Access to the Internet is instrumental to achieving Soros's goal, and by setting up the e-mail system, the Soros Foundation enabled the citizens of Sarajevo to communicate with the outside world.

   In another project, the Soros Foundation has linked schools in Romania with high schools in California. According to the program's director, the Romanian students send their English homework to the Americans to be checked, and the Americans ask for help with math assignments. Programs such as this one suggest that the Internet could be a valuable tool for enabling people from diverse cultures to interact. By bringing people together from diverse cultures, it is argued, the Internet will teach people tolerance toward one another.

   Although people can connect with others around the world, cultural differences can influence communication in cyberspace. Gattiker (2001) has made suggestions to help facilitate successful Internet communication. At present, English is the predominant language of the Internet. Sites written in other languages will often have a mirror site in English. However, many Internet participants are not native English speakers. Therefore, careful writing is key and humor should be used with caution. In the future, smaller Internet cultures may emerge that are influenced by different languages and national cultures.