Social Media Impact on Behavior and Cultural Adaptation

1 Social Media Impact on Behavior and Cultural Adaption of International Chinese Students in the United States Culture is a holistic term that defines traditions, norms, and beliefs that make people unique. Culture enhances people's quality of life and the overall well-being of individuals and communities. However, people who move to other regions than their country of origin experience challenges trying to adapt to new cultures. These people employ several strategies, including social media platforms, to improve adaptation to different cultures and enhance interactions with culturally diverse groups (Shu et al., 2020). Social media is increasingly becoming a popular component of modern life since it provides a platform for people to communicate, interact, exchange messages, and share ideas, irrespective of distance barriers (McFaul, 2016). Intercultural adaptation describes how individuals adjust their communication, behaviors, and ways of life with persons of a different culture depending on previous experiences. Cultural psychology studies have revealed that social media is one of the tools people use to gather information and enhance their integration into the host culture during their adaptation. Social media also helps sustain links between individuals and their host countries.

This paper explores the impact of social media on behavior and intercultural adaption among international Chinese students in the United States.

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2 Literature review Bierwiaczonek and Waldzus (2016) noted that international mobility has increased significantly in the recent century. For instance, Hamid et al. (2016) and Wang et al. (2018) clarified that the U.S. has been experiencing a consistent rise in international students since the 1950s. The influx of these students affects the cultural, economic, and educational fabric of the U.S. Students bring their distinctive cultural principles, behaviors, and ways of life.

Unfortunately, living abroad affects an individual in various ways. For instance, students living abroad have to adapt to a new culture. Various factors, including cultural dimensions, previous experiences, cultural knowledge, and social elements, influence the outcomes of this adaptation. Individuals use different resources to lower the impact of culture shock experience in host countries. Zaw (2018) noted that social media is one of the resources that help international students communicate, share ideas with residents, and adjust to the new culture.

Rui and Wang (2015) concurred with Zaw (2018) that social media helps individuals identify like-minded parties and participate actively in social activities. International students use social media platforms to search for information concerning the new culture (Hamid et al., 2016). They identify practices and behaviors that typify the new culture. Pang (2018) noted that the massive penetration of social media had transformed interpersonal communication behaviors.

Social media improves the social capital and psychological well-being of international students.

In concurrence with Pang (2018), Li and Peng (2019) pointed out that social networking sites are slowly becoming reliable communication tools for international students. Li and Peng (2019) also argued that these sites could facilitate acculturation. However, Forbush and Foucault-Welles (2016) noted that it is hard to determine how social media use affects the cultural adaptation of specific students since previous studies tend to generalize all international students.

3 Research question: Can social media positively impact the cultural adaptation of international students and improve their psychological and social well-being?

The number of international Chinese students in the United States is on the rise, and so is the use of social media platforms. Given that young people, particularly students are predominant social media users, it is academically relevant to investigate how international students use social media to understand and adapt to the new culture. This study will provide information on how social media can help international students adapt to a new culture through enhanced interactions.

Hypothesis H1. Social networking sites improve interpersonal interactions between international Chinese students and residents. These sites help sustain relationships that are negatively influenced by geographical barriers.

H2. Social media sites improve cultural knowledge among international students, thus enhancing their adaptation to the new culture. They help students express their interests in new cultures, languages, behavior, and practices.

H3. Improved interpersonal relationships help avert cultural barriers that generate psychological and social challenges among international students.

Method This study will employ a qualitative research method to investigate how social media use influences the cultural adaptation of international Chinese students. The qualitative methodology will gather detailed information about the participants' thoughts, opinions, and perspectives on the impact of social media on intercultural adaptation. In-depth interviews will be carried out to obtain comprehensive responses from students.

4 Participants The study participants will be ten international students enrolled in various courses in a mid-sized college in the United States. The study will recruit five male and five female students to eradicate gender bias. Only Chinese students above 18 years, born in countries other than the U.S., will participate in the study. The participants' stay in the U.S. will be 12 months to 6 years.

The study will focus on Chinese students, and international students from other ethnic backgrounds will not be recruited.

Further, the study will not recruit members of a particular group from the community or people suffering from a clinical condition since it intends explicitly to understand how social media affects international Chinese students’ cultural adaptation and not the impact of social media on a special group.

Materials and Procedure The selection of the participants will be purposive to ensure that only Chinese international students using social networking sites are recruited. Emails will be sent through referrals from peers, faculty, and friends to potential interviewees. Invitation emails will be sent to international Chinese students in the United States.

The researcher will perform an in-depth interview with the selected participants, and interviews will last between 20 and 35 minutes. The interviews will be conducted in the English language. Ethical approval for this research will be obtained from the institution's review board.

The researcher will analyze the data thematically, whereby recurring themes will be identified from the participant's responses to the research questions.

Study implications

5 This study will gather detailed information concerning the Chinese students’ perception of social media and its role in enhancing cultural adaptation. It will also help understand social media use among Chinese students before and after traveling to the U.S. This study differs from others since it focuses specifically on Chinese students, whereas other studies generalize all international students. The research findings could be integrated into therapeutic interventions to help Chinese students cope with social and psychological challenges associated with intense culture shock.

6 References Bierwiaczonek, K., & Waldzus, S. (2016). Socio-cultural factors as antecedents of cross-cultural adaptation in expatriates, international students, and migrants: A review. Journal of cross-cultural psychology, 47(6), 767-817. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022116644526 Forbush, E., & Foucault-Welles, B. (2016). Social media use and adaptation among Chinese students beginning to study in the United States. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 50, 1-12.

Forbush, E., & Foucault-Welles, B. (2016). Social media use and adaptation among Chinese students beginning to study in the United States. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 50, 1-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2015.10.007 Hamid, S., Bukhari, S., Ravana, S. D., Norman, A. A., & Ijab, M. T. (2016). Role of social media in information-seeking behavior of international students: A systematic literature review. Aslib Journal of Information Management. 1-12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2015.10.007 Li, L., & Peng, W. (2019). Transitioning through social media: International students' SNS use, perceived social support, and acculturative stress. Computers in Human Behavior, 98, 6979. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.03.011 McFaul, S. (2016). International Students' Social Network: Network Mapping to Gage Friendship Formation and Student Engagement on Campus. Journal of International Students, 6(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v6i1.393 Pang, H. (2018). Exploring the beneficial effects of social networking site use on Chinese students’ perceptions of social capital and psychological well-being in Germany.

7 International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 67, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2018.08.002 Rui, J. R., & Wang, H. (2015). Social network sites and international students’ cross-cultural adaptation. Computers in Human Behavior, 49, 400-411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.03.041 Shu, F., Ahmed, S. F., Pickett, M. L., Ayman, R., & McAbee, S. T. (2020). Social support perceptions, network characteristics, and international student adjustment. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 74, 136-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2019.11.002 Wang, Y., Li, T., Noltemeyer, A., Wang, A., Zhang, J., & Shaw, K. (2018). Cross-cultural adaptation of international college students in the United States. Journal of international students, 8(2), 821-842. http://dx.doi.org/10.32674/jis.v8i2.116 Zaw, H. (2018). The Impact of Social Media on Cultural Adaptation Process: Study on Chinese Government Scholarship Students. Advances in Journalism and Communication, 6, 7589. http://doi:10.4236/ajc.2018.63007.