How International Students Use Social Media - Essay Example

Introduction

Most modern students spend most of the time on social networking sites, checking updates from friends, families, fellow students, and even important information from the institution. For international students, social media has been a primary means of communication, especially when in foreign countries with no contacts from friends and families (Rahman, 2014). One of the benefits of social media, to international students, is that improves their chances of adjusting to the particular cultures as this is necessary for getting used to college life. However, most of the international students use social media as a means of socializing, with new friends, both from their cultural backgrounds and from the host countries (Sin and Kim, 2013).

Background Information

Although international students experience challenges when using social media because they may lack the knowledge of English as the universal language on the Internet, evidence confirms that social media is only used to improve their communication skills (DeAndrea et al., 2012). As they interact with new students, they get to understand some of the important things of communication within such situations and in return, learn the basics of communication (Saw et al., 2013). On the other hand, social media is a means of learning and knowledge sharing because some of the international students are always keen enough to use all the social networking sites in search of knowledge, sharing with fellow students as well as getting updates from their institutions (Rahman, 2014).

Aims/Objectives

Therefore, using the existing background information, for this case, the focus it to explain how international students use social media, by referring to some of the recommended skills of using social networking sites from the study skills course, the questionnaire findings (primary research). Besides the aim will be to explore what the literature evidence suggests as the ways through which students use social media for learning or socialization purposes. The research question to guide this study is “what are the different ways through which international students use social media and the implications on their lives?”.

Research objectives

• To find out different ways through which international students use social media
• To explore the implications of using social media to international students, both social and academic life
• To find out the most commonly used social media sites among the international students

Methodology

For this case, the emphasis will be use the most appropriate methodology for answering the research question, “what are the different ways through which international students use social media and the implications on their lives?”. A qualitative approach is the strategic fit for this case, opening room to explore the attitudes and perceptions of the international students towards social media. Lewis (2015) defines qualitative research as an approach involved in exploring the different attributes and perceptions towards the phenomenon under study. Alternatively, a quantitative approach would have been applied but since there is no computation of numerical variables, it does not apply for this case.

The data will be collected using open-ended questionnaires as analytical survey tools for collecting views from respondents with least or no guidance. The advantage with the open-ended question is the possibility of getting detailed answers from the respondents (Merriam and Tisdell, 2015). Besides, cases of bias are avoided since the researcher does not influence the outcomes. However, questionnaires have the disadvantage of low response rate but the research took of this by disseminating many questionnaire materials. As such, 20 international students were introduced to take part in the study, and the participation was announced through faculties and departments as well as posts on the institution’s notice boards.

Analysis of the findings

The research began by simply seeking demographic information. The gender was represented on a fifty-fifty basis, as an indication of a research with least bias.

Concerning age, most of the recruited members were within the age range of between 20 and 27 years. The age is associated with extensive social media use thus indicating or portraying the relevance of the research.

From the primary research, the questionnaire revealed that Facebook is the most famous social media site among international students, although some agreed to have been using Twitter and Instagram. The graph below shows that Facebook is the most used social media site among international students, at around 70%, while Twitter is used on relatively low percentile with Instagram and Google+ ranking the least.

Generally, the international students use social media for getting news updates, shopping and even sharing photos friends. In appendix (1), the questionnaire shows how the students prefer using social media for getting information, getting relaxed and staying in touch with the friends and families.

From the above graph, 4 of the respondents indicated using social media for getting news, 10 or 50% using the same for online shopping and another four indicated using social media for sharing information. From the findings, international students tend to prefer social media for online shopping.

The days they can go without using social media shows how their lives depend on social media, they can only go a day without using social media.

The above chart indicate that 70% of the international students will only go a day without using social media as an implication that it has become part of their life.

When asked about advantages, some suggested that social media has been the best way to communicate with friends and families, giving them the chance to get news and updates from the institution and a way of identifying with their age mates. From the chart below, 70% indicated using social media for communicating with friends and families, while 20% and 10% believe it is the best way of getting information or updates from the institution as well as a means of relaxing.

However, some recommended that social media may have a negative impact on their grades, taking too much of their time and distracting them during the normal school days.

Discussions

International students use social networking sites for various purposes, and most of them involve getting services from their respective institutions (Saw et al., 2013). For instance, the students mostly use social media during recruitment, getting student services as well as keeping up to date with the news from the institution, as indicated in the primary research. Although a variety of social media is available for use, the primary research shows that Facebook is the most preferred among the international students. The implication is that the students prefer Facebook as the best site for getting better and greater engagement, with their several friends and the faculties of learning (Sin and Kim, 2013). Preference of using particular networking sites has been studied with reports indicating that specific features encourage different levels of engagement. For instance, Rahman (2014) confirmed that Facebook Groups were more efficient among students because it allowed them the opportunities for discussing all topics, including academics, social life, politics and civic education and this is also confirmed from the questionnaire reports. In this case, international students check the contents of the social media sites, including videos that keep them informed of the workshops, upcoming events, services, and deadlines. However, the students are also unique in the way they use the social media sites. The implication is that the students will always go for the most attractive social media; they prefer sites that they are most familiar with for communication purposes (DeAndrea et al., 2012). In addition, through social media, the students create online communities for connecting with individual students from the same ethnicities as well as connecting with the students from the host countries (Rahman, 2014).

International students not only use social media for connecting with friends, but evidence indicates that the students visit the sites for social and public participation. However, a bigger percentage of social media use among international students is majorly concerned with sharing and collecting information because these activities make up most of the time they spend on social networking sites, especially Facebook (Rahman, 2014). For instance, the questionnaires reported that a larger percentage of the internal students always use social media and cannot go a day without using Facebook. The purpose for using social media among international students also indicates some of the impacts of using the sites. For instance, DeAndrea et al. (2012) argue that students who use social networking sites for collecting and sharing information are more likely to record higher grades than their counterparts who use the same for socialization. From the questionnaires, not a single student suggested that social media had negative impact on their grades while only a few confirmed that it distracted them. Therefore, the above pieces of evidence confirm the statement by Sin and Kim (2013) that social media is used among students for education purposes as an indication that the international students use these sites for learning.

Although international students use social media to adjust to different cultures and social situations, they believe that the social networking sites do not provide them with the required level or degree of social support (Saw et al., 2013). From the questionnaire responses, some argued that some of the social media sites were difficult to use and they were also restricted on the information they shared with the friends on sites like Facebook.

Secondary Research: Existing research on social media use among international students

The existing research can also be used to explain how the primary research is correct in identifying some of the ways through which international students use social media. How students use social media has drawn the attention of researchers whose focus have been on how social media (social networking) supports international students. For instance, Salminen et al. (2016) carried out a research whose focus was on finding out how international students use social media and the impacts it has in their lives. The study found out that international students use social media, during their course of study, to establish new relationships, especially with the students hailing from the same ethnicities within the host country, as confirmed in Appendix 1. Moreover, international students use social media in a bid to build relationships with other students within the host countries. Although much of the emphasis has been on building and maintaining relationships, international students’ primary goal of using social media is to help them in meeting academic requirements. In response to this question, Saw et al. (2013) also conducted research focusing on the results of using Facebook among international students. The findings from the study indicated that Facebook usage improves the ability of the students to socialize as well as participate in a culturally different surrounding. Moreover, the research reported that students who used Facebook when interacting with their friends were better adjusted socially. The research confirms findings from the primacy research that Facebook is the most used social media.

In addition, some of the researchers focused on how international students use social media for academic purposes. For instance, Karpinski et al. (2013) found out that social support gotten from social networking enabled the students to adjust successfully in their academic study. On the other hand, Rahman (2014) reported that the use of Twitter during discussions, for academic purposes, improved the grades of the students, their level of engagement as well as the motivation for the study. The primary research (questionnaires) shows how students use social media for sharing information. Furthermore, research confirms that how students use social media is both at personal and formal level because they can use them to connect with the friends and connect with the faculty (Salminen et al., 2016). In this case, it can be argued social media allows international students to interact and connect with a familiar learning environment. However, since an environment is created where all students participate in learning, it can be concluded that international students, especially those who experience difficulties attending normal classrooms, have the opportunities of interacting and connecting with other students or their respective faculties in a different setting (Saw et al., 2013).

In addition, research has also focused on how international students use social media to address some of the challenges they experience, especially with the psychological problems of loneliness, depression, alienation, homesickness among others. However, Salminen et al. (2016) found out for international students, social media is a means of reducing stress because of culture clash. In the primary research, a good number of the respondents indicated that they used social media for relaxing. Particularly, most international students are always active on Facebook while others use Skype to connect with their families and friends. Therefore, existing research confirms that international students use social media for communication, with friends and families, to avoid the stress from culture clash, connecting with friends from host countries as well as being an important medium of communication during class work and discussions.

Conclusion

The above discussion has proved that for international students, social media serves different purposes and how they use the sites depend on features as well as the attractive aspects of the sites. For one, it is clear that the most commonly used social media site among the international students is Facebook while they also use other networking sites like Google+, Twitter, and Skype frequently. More so, social media is a means of getting information from the institution’s management as the students get constant updates on important events, workshops, and activities concerned with their learning. In addition, it is evident that international students prefer social media as a means of learning, more so students who always experience difficulties attending traditional classes. Besides, social media is the only means that international students can interact with their families and friends; through this opportunity, they can adjust to the particular area because of the difference in culture. Moreover, social media is a means of connecting with new friends and through this, the students learn the basics of communicating with their fellow students, in particular with using informal language.