Online Conversations: A Semantic Network Analysis of Cultural Differences in Conversations on McDonald’s Corporate Facebook Sites between Taiwan and the USA

Hui-Jung Chang

Graduate Institute of Mass Communication, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan.

DOI: 10.4236/jcc.2015.36010                

Abstract

The goal of this article is to explore the manifestation of culture in language usage posted by McDonald’s Facebook site operators and the accompanying replies posted by fans on the sites in Taiwan and the USA, utilizing the collectivism-individualism dimension suggested by Hofstede’s model of culture. Data were gathered from the whole year of 2012 on the official McDonald’s Facebook sites in the two countries. A semantic network analysis tool, Wolfpak, was used to analyze the words generated from the postings written by Facebook site operators and fans. In general, the study found support for cultural differences through word usage from official McDonald’s Facebook site operators and fans between Taiwan and the USA. It appeared that Taiwanese Facebook culture is characterized with the creation of a “we-identity”, with dependence more on people in authority, and a focus on money and materialism; whereas American Facebook culture is characterized with an “I-identity”, with less dependence on people in authority, and more focus on self-interests.

Keywords

Collectivism/Individualism, Network Analysis, Facebook

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Kim, Y., Sohn, D. and Choi, S.M. (2011) Cultural Difference in Motivations for Using Social Network Sites: A Comparative Study of American and Korean College Students. Computers in Human Behavior, 27, 365-372. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.08.015
[2]	Solis, B. and Breakenridge, D.K. (2009) Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media Is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR. FT Press, Upper Saddle River.
[3]	Zhang, L., Tian, S. and Miles, P.C. (2014) Content and Design Characteristics of Chinese and US Corporate Homepages. International Journal of Electronic Business, 11, 153-175. http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/IJEB.2014.060208
[4]	Cyr, D. (2008) Modeling Web Site Design across Cultures: Relationships to Trust, Satisfaction, and E-Loyalty. Journal of Management Information Systems, 24, 47-72. http://dx.doi.org/10.2753/MIS0742-1222240402
[5]	Cyr, D. and Trevor-Smith, H. (2004) Localization of Web Design: An Empirical Comparison of German, Japanese, and United States Web Site Characteristics. Journal of the USA Society for Information Science and Technology, 55, 1199-1208. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/asi.20075
[6]	Singh, N., Toy, D.R. and Wright, L.K. (2009) A Diagnostic Framework for Measuring Web-Site Localization. Thunder- bird International Business Review, 51, 281-95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tie.20265
[7]	Shannon, P. (2000) Including Language in Your Global Strategy for B2B E-Commerce. World Trade, 13, 66-68.
[8]	Baack, D.W. and Singh, N. (2007) Culture and Web Communications. Journal of Business Research, 60, 181-88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2006.11.002
[9]	Chang, H.J. (2011) Multinationals on the Web: Cultural Similarities and Differences in English-Language and Chinese-Language Website Designs. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 62, 1105-1117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/asi.21515
[10]	Daryanto, A., Khan, H., Matlay, H. and Chakrabarti, R. (2013) Adoption of Country-Specific Business Websites: The Case of UK Small Businesses Entering the Chinese Market. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 20, 650-660. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-04-2013-0048
[11]	Singh, N. and Matsuo, H. (2004) Measuring Cultural Adaptation on the Web: A Content Analytic Study of US and Japanese Web Sites. Journal of Business Research, 57, 864-872. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0148-2963(02)00482-4
[12]	Yalcin, S., Singh, N., Dwivedi, Y.K., Apil, A.R. and Sayfullin, S. (2011) Culture and Localization on the Web: Evidence from Multinationals in Russia and Turkey. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, 12, 94-114.
[13]	Hofstede, G. (2001) Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Sage, Newbury Park.
[14]	Ting-Toomey, S. (1999) Communicating across Cultures. Guiford Press, New York.
[15]	Miniwatts Marketing Group (2014) Internet World Users By Language: Top 10 Languages. http://www.Internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm
[16]	Kang, D.S. and Mastin, T. (2008) How Cultural Difference Affects Inter-National Tourism Public Relations Websites: A Comparative Analysis Using Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions. Public Relations Review, 34, 54-56.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2007.11.002
[17]	Moura, F.T., Gnoth, J. and Deans, K.R. (2014) Localizing Cultural Values on Tourism Destination Websites: The Effects on Users’ Willingness to Travel and Destination Image. Journal of Travel Research, 1-15.http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0047287514522873
[18]	Usunier, J.C., Roulin, N. and Ivens, B.S. (2009) Cultural, National, and Industry-Level Differences in B2B Web Site Design and Content. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 14, 41-88. http://dx.doi.org/10.2753/JEC1086-4415140202
[19]	Würtz, E. (2005) A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Websites from High-Context Cultures and Low-Context Cultures. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11, 274-299. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol11/issue1/wuertz.html http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.tb00313.x
[20]	Gudykunst, W.B., Matsumoto, Y., Ting-Toomy, S., Nishida, T., Kim, K. and Heyman, S. (1996) The Influence of Cultural Individualism-Collectivism, Self Construals, and Individual Values on Communication Styles across Cultures. Human Communication Research, 22, 510-543. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.1996.tb00377.x
[21]	Gevorgyan, G. and Manucharova, N. (2009) Does Culturally Adapted Online Communication Work? A Study of USA and Chinese Internet Users’ Attitudes and Preferences toward Culturally Customized Web Design Elements. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14, 393-413. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01446.x
[22]	Boase, J. and Ikeda, K.I. (2012) Core Discussion Networks in Japan and America. Human Communication Research, 38, 95-119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2011.01416.x
[23]	Gudykunst, W.B. and Matusmoto, Y. (1996) Cross-Cultural Variability of Communication in Personal Relationships. In: Gudykunst, W.B., Ting-Toomy, S. and Nishida, T., Eds., Communication in Personal Relationships across Cultures, Sage, Thousand Oaks, 19-56.
[24]	Markus, H.R. and Kitayama, S. (1991) Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation. Psy- chological Review, 98, 224-253. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-295x.98.2.224
[25]	Triandis, H.C. (1995) Individualism & Collectivism. Westview Press, Boulder.
[26]	Hall, E.T. (1976) Beyond Culture. Doubleday, New York.
[27]	Kim, H., Coyle, J.R. and Gould, S.J. (2009) Collectivist and Individualist Influences on Website Design in South Korea and the US: A Cross-Cultural Content Analysis. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14, 581-601.http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01454.x
[28]	Robbins, S.S. and Stylianou, A.C. (2002) A Study of Cultural Differences in Global Corporate Web Sites. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 42, 3-9.
[29]	Singh, N. and Baack, D.W. (2004) Web Site Adaptation: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of US and Mexican Web Sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 9. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol9/issue4/singh_baack.html http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2004.tb00298.x
[30]	De Andrea, D.C., Shaw, A.S. and Levine, T.R. (2010) Online Language: The Role of Culture in Self-Expression and Self-Construal on Facebook. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 29, 425-442.http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0261927X10377989
[31]	Doerfel, M.L. and Connaughton, S.L. (2009) Semantic Networks and Competition: Election Year Winners and Losers in US Televised Presidential Debates, 1960-2004. Journal of the USA Society for Information Science and Technology, 60, 201-218. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/asi.20950
[32]	Fitzgerald, G.A. and Doerfel, M.L. (2004) The Use of Semantic Network Analysis to Manage Customer Complaints. Communication Research Reports, 21, 231-242. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08824090409359985
[33]	Doerfel, M.L. and Barnett, G.A. (1999) A Semantic Network Analysis of the International Communication Association. Human Communication Research, 25, 589-603. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.1999.tb00463.x
[34]	Kim, J.H. (2012) A Hyperlink and Semantic Network Analysis of the Triple Helix (University-Government-Industry): The Interorganizational Communication Structure of Nanotechnology. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17, 152-170. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2011.01564.x
[35]	Lee, S., Kim, H. and Rosen, D. (2009) A Semantic Network and Categorical Content Analysis of Internet and Online Media Research. The Open Communication Journal, 3, 15-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874916X00903010015
[36]	Chang, H.J. and Tseng, I. (2009) A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Social Network Sites in Taiwan and USA: A Comparison between Wretch and My Space. Journal of Electronic Business, 11, 611-638. (In Chinese)
[37]	Kim, K.-H. and Yun, H. (2008) Cying for Me, Cying for Us: Relational Dialectics in a Korean Social Network Site. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13, 298-318. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00397.x
[38]	Borgatti, S.P., Everett, M.G. and Freeman, L.C. (2002) Ucinet for Windows: Software for Social Network Analysis. Analytic Technologies, Harvard.
[39]	Caillat, Z. and Mueller, B. (1996) The Influence of Culture on American and British Advertising: An Exploratory Comparison of Beer Advertising. Journal of Advertising Research, 36, 79-88.
[40]	Callahan, E. (2005) Cultural Similarities and Differences in the Design of University Web Sites. Journal of Computer- Mediated Communication, 11, 239-273. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.tb00312.x
[41]	Lee, H.E. and Park, H.S. (2011) Why Koreans Are More Likely to Favor “Apology,” While Americans Are More Likely to Favor “Thank You”. Human Communication Research, 37, 125-146. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.2010.01396.x
[42]	Marcus, A. and Gould, E.W. (2000) Cultural Dimensions and Global Web User-Interface Design. Interactions, 7, 33- 46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/345190.345238
[43]	Wallace, E., Buil, I., de Chernatony, L. and Hogan, M. (2014) Who Likes You and Why? A Typology of Facebook Fans. Journal of Advertising Research, 54, 92-109. http://dx.doi.org/10.2501/JAR-54-1-092-109
[44]	Cook, T.D., Campbell, D.T. and Day, A. (1979) Quasi-Experimentation: Design & Analysis Issues for Field Settings (Volume 351). Houghton Mifflin, Boston.