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Audience Diversity

Name:

Date:
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Audience Diversity

1. Why are representation and diversity important when providing messaging or content

for media audiences and consumers?

Representation and diversity are essential when developing messaging or content for

media audiences and consumers. They promote inclusivity and allow people of all backgrounds

to see themselves represented, providing a sense of belonging and validation (Bernstein et al.,

2020). They also reflect the realities of our diverse world. Second, content is enhanced by varied

viewpoints, which results in more original, compelling, and actual storylines. Thirdly, doing so is

required morally, as doing so will help fight prejudice and stereotypes. Additionally, diverse

information broadens everyone's horizons and promotes empathy and understanding. Diversity

and representation foster a more just and peaceful society by appealing to audiences.

2. Describe four international and/or intercultural differences among audiences

Individualism vs. Collectivism- In societies with a high level of individualism, audiences

should be served content that borders on self-improvement and achievement of personally set

goals (Hofstede, 2023), this is evident in mostly the US. However, in collectivist cultures, such

as the Asian countries in China and Japan, the audience focuses on things meant to serve the

general family or group.

Power Distance-In societies with high power distance, audiences will respect the

presence of authority, this is evident in mostly asian countris like South Korea and China.

However, societies with low power intensity prefer messages to be simple and easily understood

asis the case in most Scandinavian countries like Norway and Denmark.

Uncertainty Avoidance- In a country like Greece, people in that society have high

uncertainty avoidance. Ideally, they tend to prefer trustworthy content that offers guarantees at
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all times. In alternate societies with low uncertainty avoidance, audiences expect messages to be

more flexible and less ambiguous.This is evident in a contry like Sweden.

Masculinity vs. Femininity- Germany is perceived as a country with high masculinity as

audiences expect content that emphasizes accomplishments, competition, and success in life.

However, feminine societies are evident when one visits Netherlands. The society and people

expect content to be more compassionate and caring. Ideally, more feminine societies will also

emphasize work-life balance.

3. Several month's ago, I travelled to Cuba and I can say firsthand that within the power distance

continuum it was on the high side. I say this for high power distance countries are tipically

dictatorial regimes (Hofstede, 2023). Living in America, a country with a low power distance

and a significant middle class, for me it was a culture shock to be in a country were censorship

and class inequality was the norm. One of the Cuban nationals, I spoke with mentioned to me

that regardless of your profession everyone rreceived the same wage. Unlike America, Cuba has

no social mobility for high earning positions are reserved for the ruling elite.

4. Describe three examples or methods of globalizing content for audiences.

Localization entails modifying information to adhere to target consumers' preferred

languages, cultures, and tastes (Kannan, 2014). Text translation, visual adaptation, and design

element modification are some examples of this. For instance, a multinational fast food

restaurant may give menu items that cater to local preferences in many nations, or a software

corporation may offer translations of its product in other languages.

Cultural sensitivity training- Companies can train their personnel and content producers

in cultural sensitivity (Makarova et al., 2019). This training allows them to better recognize the

subtleties and potential hazards while creating content for various audiences. Content producers
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can prevent unintentionally offending or misunderstanding their target audience by being

mindful of cultural differences. To ensure respectful advertising efforts, a multinational firm, for

instance, can teach its marketing staff about cultural taboos.

Encouraging user-generated content- A good strategy to internationalize content is to

promote user-generated content. Organizations may access the many viewpoints and creativity of

their worldwide audience by enabling users to submit their own content, stories, and experiences.

User-generated content, such as that seen on social media sites, can foster an atmosphere of

authenticity and inclusivity. This strategy may also aid in developing participation among

various audiences and community building.

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References

Bernstein, A., De Vreese, C., Helberger, N., Schulz, W., Zweig, K., Baden, C., ... & Zueger, T.

(2020). Diversity in news recommendations. arXiv preprint arXiv:2005.09495.

Hofstede, G. (2023). The 6 dimensions’ model of national culture by Geert Hofstede. Geert

Hofstede. https://geerthofstede.com/culture-geert-hofstede-gert-jan-hofstede/6d-model-

of-national-culture/.

Kannan, S. (2014, November 19). How McDonald’s conquered India. BBC News.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-30115555.

Makarova, E. A., Makarova, E. L., & Korsakova, T. V. (2019). The role of globalization and

integration in interdisciplinary research, culture and education development. Journal of

History Culture and Art Research, 8(1), 111-127.