Facebook Use and Acculturation: The Case of Overseas Chinese Professionals in Western Countries

Authors

  • Yuping Mao Erasmus University Rotterdam
  • Yuxia Qian Albion College

Keywords:

overseas Chinese, identity management, Facebook, acculturation

Abstract

The emergence of social network sites has provided new opportunities for intercultural communication. This study is one of the first to explore the role of Facebook on the acculturation of Chinese professionals overseas. Through qualitative interviews, we explored how overseas Chinese professionals use Facebook to maintain their social networks, manage their multicultural identities, and adapt to Western culture in their host countries. Our research reveals that overseas Chinese professionals tended to manage their identity with little self-awareness, and their Facebook communication reflected Chinese traditional culture in many ways. Facebook was regarded as a useful acculturation tool for them to learn about popular social topics in the host countries.

Author Biographies

Yuping Mao, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Media and CommunicationErasmus University RotterdamMail address: Erasmus University, L.3-82P.O. Box 1738, NL-3000 DR RotterdamThe NetherlandsE-mail: mao@eshcc.eur.nlTel: +31 (0)10 4082468   Fax: +31 (0)10 4089135Yuping Mao (Ph.D., Ohio University) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Media and Communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Prior to moving to Europe, Yuping worked as the academic developer in the Graduate Program of Communications and Technology at the University of Alberta in Canada. Her research focuses on intercultural, organizational, and health communication. Yuping teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on research methods, organizational communication, health communication, media campaigns, and culture, new media, and international business. She supervises both undergraduate and graduate theses. Her work has appeared in many peer-reviewed journals and edited books, including Communication Research, Canadian Journal of Communication, China Media Research, International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Journal of Substance Use, and Italian Journal of Pediatrics.    

Yuxia Qian, Albion College

Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Communication StudiesAlbion CollegePhone: 517/629-0326Yuxia Qian is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Albion College, Michigan. She teaches courses in small group and organizational communication, organizational culture, and intercultural communication, etc. She holds a doctorate in communication studies from Ohio University. Her primary research interest lies in the intersection of organizational communication and intercultural communication. Her previous work focused on employee cynicism and social information processing. She is currently exploring the work experiences and cultural adaptation of professionals living abroad. She has presented her research in both national and international communication conferences, and published her work in peer-reviewed journals and books.

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Published

2015-07-15

Issue

Vol. 9 (2015)

Section

Articles

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