Intercultural communication refers to the exchange of messages between people of different cultures under conditions in which their cultural backgrounds influence the process.  Culture plays a significant role in communication as it influences how you talk and interact with others (both individuals and groups), the topics you talk about and the strategies used to express such ideas, and how you use the media to shape your reality.  With a cultural emphasis in communication, it becomes easier to distinguish between that which is universal and that which is relative, for not all beliefs and lifestyles are similar.  Because of this, it becomes important to avoid ethnocentrism, or the tendency to view others in light of your own culture and therefore seeing them as distorting "normal" behaviors (DeVito, 2005).