Digital Transnationalism:A Study on the Online Social Support Acquisition Behaviors of Chinese Students in the UK
Traditional theories of transnationalism,which emerged before the internet era,need re-examination in the context of current digitalized existence.This study explores the acquisition of online social support by transnational individuals,focusing on Chinese students in the UK,which is a cross-cultural group facing significant academic pressures.Following the principle of"information saturation,"the study conducted semi-structured interviews with 63 Chinese students and 10 related individuals,including their parents,teachers,and friends.The research identified four strategies for using online platforms to obtain social support,influenced by different study abroad objectives.The first group aims at returning to China.These students extensively and meticulously use domestic platforms,while their engagement with foreign platforms is basic and broad.The second group adopts an experiential mindset.These students maintain necessary connections on domestic platforms while broadly engaging with foreign platforms as part of their cultural experience,albeit with limited involvement.The third group aims at integrating into British Society.This group primarily uses foreign platforms for online support.The fourth group return to China after extended study abroad.These students exhibit exploratory,functional,and reflective characteristics when using domestic platforms for support,with simplified use of foreign platforms and a tendency to revert to domestic information.Based on these findings,the study proposes the concept of"Digital Transnationalism,"updating the framework of transnational theory.It suggests that the digital transnational field is evolving from a traditional two-dimensional reality to a multi-dimensional space that combines virtual and real elements,with transnational media practices evolving into both common pathways and relationship-centered heterogeneous action plans.
International communicationcross-cultural communicationonline social support
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