Research On The Use Of Social Media And Cross Cultural Adaptability Of Foreign Students In China

As the number of students studying in China rises,the question of cross-cultural adaptation of international students has become a significant area of inquiry in cross-cultural communication.Social support is an indispensable factor in this adaptation process,and its influence is undeniable.The Internet age has spawned the idea of network social support,comprising four primary components: information aid,emotional aid,communication aid,and tool assistance.Simultaneously,TikTok,one of the most renowned Internet services globally,has fashioned an acquaintance relationship realm for speedy information transmission.The Internet’s ever-growing importance in the lives of international students in China has enabled them to access it,becoming a significant source of social aid.To gain insight into the underlying causes of this phenomenon,this thesis seeks to investigate the experiences of these students.TikTok’s online social support and the cross-cultural adaptability of international students are explored in this thesis,with cultural identity being integrated into the research framework as a starting point.At the same time,according to the research results,it provides corresponding countermeasures and suggestions for international students to enhance their cross-cultural adaptability.After reviewing relevant domestic and foreign literature,this thesis incorporates network social support(information support,emotional support,communication support,tool support),cultural identity and intercultural adaptability into the research.On this basis,the thesis constructs a structural equation model of information support,emotional support,communicative support,tool support,cultural identity and intercultural adaptability,and explores the mediating effect of cultural identity.This thesis selects international students from various universities in Shanxi as the object of investigation.Through two rounds of online questionnaire surveys,304 questionnaires are returned,and 282 valid data are obtained at last,and the data is analyzed by statistical software.Through empirical investigation,the trustworthiness and accuracy of scales of variables such as data aid,sentiment aid,communication aid,apparatus aid,and cultural aid have been established.Identity and intercultural adaptability are firstly analyzed,and then the correlation analysis of each variable is carried out.Emotional support,communicative support,tool support,cultural identity and intercultural adaptability were analyzed by regression analysis,and the mediating effect of cultural identity was further tested,and the research hypothesis and relationship model were finally proved.Results of the research indicate that the effect of various facets of social support from TikTok on cultural identity is not uniform.Notably,information,emotional,and tool assistance have a noteworthy beneficial effect on cultural identity,while communication aid from TikTok has a noteworthy positive effect.The effect on cultural identity is not significant.Different dimensions of network social support provided by TikTok have inconsistent effects on intercultural adaptability.Specifically,information support,emotional support and tool support have a significant positive impact on cross-cultural adaptability.The communication support provided by TikTok has a significant effect on cross-cultural adaptability.The effect of cultural adaptability is not significant.Cultural identity has a significant positive effect on intercultural adaptability,and there is a partial mediation effect on the effects of information support,emotional support,tool support and intercultural adaptability.This thesis explores the issue of cross-cultural adaptation in the new media environment,selects the group of foreign students coming to China,and through the survey of the use of Tiktok by foreign students,the study can better understand the social support role of Tiktok platform for foreign students,so as to provide useful suggestions for them to better adapt to China’s social and cultural life.