Internet and social support among Chinese migrants in Singapore

Abstract

With the mounting importance of the internet for interpersonal communication and increasing migration brought about by globalization, it is timely to examine computer-mediated social support (CMSS) among international migrants. A survey was conducted among a random sample of 710 Chinese migrants in Singapore, to measure the extent the migrants participate in CMSS and to identify factors that affect their CMSS-seeking behavior. This study found that CMSS has become an efficient and valuable supplement to the migrants’ traditional/offline social support and that the migrants actively seek CMSS, especially in the early migration stage. Factors affecting CMSS-seeking behavior include length of migration, availability of traditional social support, and level of satisfaction resulting from the CMSS seeking experience. This study took the Uses and Gratifications theory from a different angle to look into the relationship between the level of satisfaction on the CMSS received and the possible continued seeking of CMSS.