Hofstede's Dimensions of Culture

http://www.geert-hofstede.com/

He outlines 5 dimensions of culture:

1. Power Distance (vs. Equality)

   • degree to which society is equal or hierarchical (Japan - high power distance / hierarchical)

   • low power distance:  where the low employee can speak naturally or even yell at the boss of a company (U.S.)
      

2. Individualism (vs. Collectivism)

   • degree to which society encourages individual or collective achievement and relationships (U.S.)

   • collectivism:  prize success of group achievement (Japan)
      

3. Masculinity (vs. Femininity)

   • degree to which society reinforces traditional male work role / achievement, control, and power (Japan)

   • feminine society:  male / female roles equal - either sex can be traditional 'breadwinner' (Scandinavian countries)

   • U.S. would rank somewhere in the middle
      

4. Uncertainty Avoidance (vs. Risk Takers)

   • societal lack of tolerance of uncertainty and ambiguity, unstructured situations (Japan) vs. a society accepting change, risks, varieties of opinions

   • risk takers:  thrive on potential payoff of high risk situations (U.S.)
      

5. Long - Term Orientation (vs. Short Term)

   • degree to which society embraces long-term commitments, and values tradition, with typically a lower tolerance for 'outsiders' (Japan)

   • short term:  enjoy new relationships, outsiders accepted faster (U.S.)

Questions:

Are cultural differences mellowed out when we join virtual communities?  Do those with high uncertainty avoidance become more likely to take risks?

Do those favoring long-term relationships have a problem with the short-term relationship nature of virtual communities?  Are they more likely to try to find 'friends' made previously in an online virtual environment?