Heritage, Culture and Identity in the Digital Era

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What eventually becomes of our stories and traditions as the world constantly evolves?

Every single person has a way in which they identify themselves.

This plays out in various ways, namely:

• In how people talk
• Their dress sense (traditional regalia or any other)
• In how they prepare their food
• The values and beliefs they live by (such as traditions that inform cultural practices)
• How they raise and nurture children
• How they interact with each other as a community

Fun fact: even if you have a wish to free yourself from carrying any identity at all, you’ve still chosen to identify yourself.

And as the digital age continues to mature, it’s important to self-reflect on the evolution of culture and identity in our lives.

For example, communities used to gather around the fire to share stories about their tribe. Fast-forward to the connected economy, stories are shared with global audiences in a matter of seconds.

This one change – moving from local communication to global sources of information and acquaintances – informs how we:

• Talk
• Wear our clothes
• Prepare our food
• Think about the values and beliefs that our ancestors lived by
• Raise and nurture our children
• Interact with each other as a tribe

Wait a sec, let’s define + differentiate heritage and culture

The two concepts appear identical at a glance as they are often used interchangeably. But these are different ideas that highlight related, yet distinct notions.

Heritage means the passing of culture, traditions and values from previous generations. It is a crucial part of identity formation and a great way to foster individual and societal growth.

Culture is the daily life of a specific group of people and their unique characteristics. Example: language, behaviour, food, music and art, social habits, beliefs, values and other characteristics that express their lifestyle.

The value of heritage in our families, learning institutions, and workplace

Heritage, culture and identity are fluid concepts. As such, they form part of our lives in all the environments that we occupy. And because of this, it’s not helpful to restrict them to one interpretation.

For example, culture can also be defined as collective human beliefs with a well-thought-out structure customized to a certain tribe or era.

It is worth noting that the following sections within our communities play an important role in the development of career-wise professionals and their success.

Let’s take a look.

The Family

Our heritage is a legacy from our past.

Because of that, it is an important module in the process of identity formation. It is an essential tool for human development.

Cultural heritage is a necessity for all communities because it serves as a record of history. A documented set of traditions and ideas for living across generations. Plus it’s a unique and rich source of creativity, healthy self-esteem and tight-knit family structures.

Inside the family structure, heritage and culture influence our identity and give us the values that serve as signposts to navigate a world that constantly reshuffles how it operates.

Learning Institutions

Globalization continues to influence how societies communicate, organize and live.

That’s why it makes business sense for tertiary institutions to enroll and educate a wide array of students from different backgrounds.

Besides a favourable reputation, it’s important for the following reasons:

1. Campus diversity inspires open mindedness and challenges stereotypes.
2. It pulls students out of their comfort zones. To live comfortably with different personalities demands a perspective that looks at human differences as a multiplier, not a setback.
3. Diversity enriches the academic experience. Students simultaneously prepare themselves for diverse workplaces.

The Workplace

It makes business sense to recruit and collaborate with different types of people at work.

It’s important for the following reasons:

1. It’s an opportunity to interact with different worldviews. A glorious occasion to learn from people from all walks of life.

2. Informed decision-making. This requires an attitude that sees opposing perspectives as an advantage, not a barrier.

3. Quicker solutions to challenges; different world-views can produce a richer knowledge base than the collaboration of like-minded people.

In a world where Millennials and Gen-Z explore their heritage while on the edge of innovation, live in a more connected/transient world and have to figure out their identity within a global village, some of the best ways to succeed at this are to keep the following points in mind:

• Heritage is a key part of identity formation and a great method to foster individual and societal growth.
• Heritage and cultural norms can be passed on amongst different generations, for time immemorial.
• It’s also a phenomenal cultural process; a transition that has an enduring power to influence the present generation and the ones that follow.
• Plus… with the digital and communication capabilities that the current generation has in its collective pocket, the possibilities to study, archive, continually iterate and share information around our heritage, culture and identity with future generations are endless!