Comparing Cross Cultural or International Social Media and Television Use by University Students in the US and Brazil

• In Event: Context Matters: Comparing Communication and Media Practices in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, France, Thailand, and the US

Abstract

Since studies in the 1990s on youth and the global spread of MTV, there has been a tendency to expect that youth and university students tend to be internationalized in their communication behavior by the increased flows of television through satellite TV and now IPTV or Internet based TV, as well as by the international reach of social network programs and sites, like Facebook and Twitter. This study examines the development of that literature and its theoretical expectations. It also examines the current behavior of university students in the United States in one large state, Texas, and in a comparable state, São Paulo, in Brazil. Students at several universities were surveyed about their use of social media, including the degree to which they have international “friends” or “followers.” They were also asked about their watching of both domestic and international television. We argue that their behavior and how it connects to their interests, their demographic profiles, and especially their cultural capital, often tends to predict internationalized media use. We examine and compare these findings across the cultures.

Authors

• Joseph D. Straubhaar, U of Texas - Austin

• Xiaoqian Li, University of Texas - Austin

• Adolfo Rafael Mora, U of Texas - Austin

• Gejun Huang, U of Texas - Austin

• Alan Cesar Belo Angeluci, U Municipal de Sao Caetano do Sul