In the context of globalization and the growing influence of social media, we have little
knowledge about the acculturation experience of Chinese people in Spain who hold both
student and foreigner identity, and the role of social media in such a setting is unclear. In order
to gain insight into these areas, thisstudy conducted online interviews with 15 Chinese students
in Spain. Through open coding and data analysis, seven kinds of gratifications obtained by
using social media in the context ...
In the context of globalization and the growing influence of social media, we have little
knowledge about the acculturation experience of Chinese people in Spain who hold both
student and foreigner identity, and the role of social media in such a setting is unclear. In order
to gain insight into these areas, thisstudy conducted online interviews with 15 Chinese students
in Spain. Through open coding and data analysis, seven kinds of gratifications obtained by
using social media in the context of cross-cultural adaptation were identified. The study also
found that Chinese students showed a chameleon-like pattern of switching between Western
and Chinese social media based on different motivations. In addition, the seven most common
sources of stress faced by Chinese students in Spain were discovered and an attempt was made
to understand the role of social media plays in their acculturation experiences.
+
