Culture defines people's values, beliefs and personal interests. Culture is important because it allows people to maintain a unique social identity. Many cultures have common interests, while others may have customs that are very different from those of another. Technology has had a huge impact on current cultures. Many cultures have been altered, including my own, and some have been created due to the advent of technology. Cultures differ so much that someone from one culture may not agree with the values ​​of another, which can cause social and ethical problems. My culture shares many similarities with others around the world; most of which have connected more people than ever in recent years. Cultural gaps and lack of understanding of people's values ​​and beliefs are significant reasons why cultures fail to understand each other. For example, I'm African American, but I don't like identifying as African American. I wasn't born in Africa, so I don't consider myself African American. I say this because it creates cultural confusion. A man born and raised in Africa would not put himself in the same light as a black man born in America. Africans have their own identity and most prefer to keep it that way. Tracie Reddick, a former Yale professor and expert on African culture, says that "African and Black Americans often fail to create relationships in the classroom and in the workplace. They blame nationality, ethnicity, culture, economy and education" (Reddick). There are many cultural gaps just within race, which is why personal culture is so unique and important. I have the same skin color as an African, but that's more or less the same. What may be important to someone from Nigeria could mean… middle of paper… I really am. As I said, I am black and American, but not African American, I try to understand people outside my racial group by listening to different types of music, and I am tolerant of people's opinions regarding religion and beliefs.Works CitedCass, Connie. “It's no joke: While a majority of young people report racist, sexist slurs online, many still persist with the slurs: US survey.” National post. Postmedia Network, November 20, 2013. Web. May 4, 2014. Reddick, Tracie. “African vs. African American, a shared complexion does not guarantee racial solidarity.” African versus African-American. Tribune Co., 1997. Web. 02 May 2014. Cigno, Christopher. “Connecting the world through social media.” IABC: CW Swan Bulletin. International Association for Business Communication, n.d. Web. 02 May 2014. "Yo-Yo Ma Quotes." Thinkexist.com. Thinkexist and Web. April 15. 2014.