Online Diaspora: Social Media and International Students in the United States

• In Event: What’s New in the Classroom: Global Uses of New Media

Abstract

This study examined if international students’ online life is culturally divided, and whether online activities make international students less social in real world. Eighty-one international students from a mid-western university in the United States filled out the survey that collected data on the participants’ host-country related and home-country related online activities. Meanwhile, the survey collected information on the participants’ core networks, including the network size, contact frequency, and the amount of social support. The results suggest that while home-related and host-related online activities were not mutually exclusive, the participants were more engaged in home-related online activities than host-related online activities. Furthermore, the participants’ online activities did not make them less socially active in real life.

Authors

• Wei Qiu, Webster University

• Yong Zhao, University of Oregon