WeChat, YouTube, and Facebook Usage and Acculturation Outcomes

Ju, Ran
Hamilton, Leah
McLaron, Matther

Social media usage has been recognized as an integral part of immigrants’ acculturation experiences, yet research on social media is just emerging, and more detailed understanding is needed. Drawing on the interactive theory of communication and crosscultural adaptation (ITCCA), the current project used a mixed-method approach to understand how Chinese immigrants’ social media use influences their acculturation experiences. Through focus groups and a survey, we examined which social media platforms Chinese immigrants use and for what purposes during their acculturation process, and what influence social media use has on their acculturation process in Canada. Our findings expand the scope of the ITCCA and offer important practical implications for service providers supporting newcomers

2021

article

Communication,
Acculturation
Chinese immigrants
Social media

International Journal of Communication

15

4011

4033

University of Southern California's Annenberg Center for Communication

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
author

Business and Communication Studies