Litmus Test for Website Diversity

Mapping Diversities and Tracing Trends of Cultural Homogeneity/Heterogeneity in Cyberspace

Elad Segev School of Politics, International Relations, & PhilosophyKeele University Niv Ahituv The Faculty of ManagementTel Aviv University Karine Barzilai-Nahon The Information School University of Washington


This article looked at the notion that increased internet and mass media usage would result in a loss of individuality, specifically cultural individuality, because of the tendency to create sites that appeal to the broadest segment of the population. Studies done by researchers attempted to compare and contrast the sites of companies that had a presence in several countries, seeing how they represented local culture.

They used a variety of measurements of colors, graphics, and other site features to gauge how each site was customized for it’s audience. Large U.S. based companies homepages were examined, and the findings were very interesting in some instances, denoting differences in presentation but not much in the way of a true reflection of the local preferences in how to be communicated to. The study then concentrated on MSN and Yahoo, citing that Yahoo’s high reliance on advertising may lead it to be more homogenous than MSN, which has a much lower advertising reliance.

Part of what the article touched on was how these two companies fared in detaching themselves from their U.S. based websites in terms of both appeal and content. Although the look of both of the sites differed in other countries, MSN had done more of the homework required to reflect true local tastes and customs, incorporating more of the dominant trait (masculinity, high-context, low-context etc) as it related to the geographical location. This ability to be able to customize more deeply may lie in fewer sponsors to please, and suggests that even in cyberspace control will eventually lie with the one who pays the most.

The article was primarily a research paper, with charts and graphs that showed how the information was obtained, but still raised some relevant points about which way we can expect to see the Internet going in the future, as more globalization pushes marketing closer to the native comfort zone. Questions about just who represents local customs will also have to be answered, further narrowing the focus and tailoring the message to cultures within the cultures.


Diana