The Impact of New Social Media on Intercultural Adaptation

Abstract

New social media have become increasingly popular components of our everyday lives in today’s globalizing society. They provide a context where people across the world can communicate, exchange messages, share knowledge, and interact with each other regardless of the distance that separates them. Intercultural adaptation involves the process of promoting understanding through interaction to increase the level of fitness so that the demands of a new cultural environment can be met. Research shows that people tend to use new social media to become more integrated into the host culture during their adaptation and to maintain connections to their home countries. This paper attempts to investigate the impact of using new social media on the intercultural adaptation process. In-depth interviews of international students in a U.S. university are conducted. Based on the results of the analysis, directions for future research in this line of research are also discussed.