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Social Networking and Cultural Adaptation: A Theoretical Model

Article in Journal of International and Intercultural Communication · November 2011

DOI: 10.1080/17513057.2011.598046

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Social Networking and Cultural

Adaptation: A Theoretical Model
Stephen M. Croucher

Available online: 26 Oct 2011

To cite this article: Stephen M. Croucher (2011): Social Networking and Cultural Adaptation: A
Theoretical Model, Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 4:4, 259-264

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 Journal of International and Intercultural Communication
Vol. 4, No. 4, November 2011, pp. 259264

Social Networking and Cultural

Adaptation: A Theoretical Model
Stephen M. Croucher

This paper demonstrates a theoretical model for the influence of social networking on
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cultural adaptation. Through the integration of cultivation theory and ethnic group
vitality, this model proposes social networking affects immigrants’ interactions with the
dominant culture as well as in-group communication.

Keywords: Cultural Adaptation; Cultural Acculturation; Cultivation Theory; Ethnic

Group Vitality; Social Networking Websites

Newcomers to cultures have used various technologies to resist and assist in the
cultural adaptation and acculturation process for as long as immigration has taken
place (Kim, 1988; Kramer, 2003). While technology as a broad concept has included
numerous innovations such as medical practices and means of transportation
(Croucher, 2008; Kramer, 2003), media, the focus of this essay, is particularly linked
to cultural adaptation (Croucher, 2008; Trebbe, 2007; Tsai, 2006; Ye, 2006). Research
demonstrates that immigrants use media to aid in the adaptation process (Hwang &
He, 1999; Raman & Harwood, 2008) and to maintain ties with the homeland
(Durham, 2004; Lee, 2004). However, less research has examined the impact of new
media*Internet, social networking, blogs, and multimedia*on the process of
acculturation (Wang, Huang, Huang, & Wang, 2009). As new media continue to
change and develop, and as immigration remains a significant economic, political,
and social issue, investigating the study of how technology influences immigrants in
new cultures takes on increased importance.
Research on cultural adaptation indicates that the process of adapting to a new
culture is difficult. Generally, individuals experience stress, depression, loneliness,
and other negative emotions (Chun & Choi, 2003; Croucher, 2008; Kramer, 2003).
However, Ye (2006) discovered that the use of online ethnic support groups among
Chinese international students helped reduce acculturative stress. Participation in

Stephen M. Croucher is an Associate Professor of Communication in the School of Communication and the
Arts, Marist College. Correspondence to: Stephen M. Croucher, School of Communication and the Arts, Marist
College, LT 212, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, USA. Email: stephen.croucher@marist.edu

ISSN 1751-3057 (print)/ISSN 1751-3065 (online) # 2011 National Communication Association

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17513057.2011.598046
 260 S. M. Croucher

such groups provided students with a sense of belonging with other international
students. Similarly, Wang et al. (2009) revealed Chinese students who experience
‘‘negative’’ emotions are more likely to seek out online communication or social
networking. Tsai (2006) also uncovered that the Internet provided Taiwanese
immigrants with an opportunity to improve linguistic fluency and also indicated
Internet usage aided in the adaptation process.
Researchers emphasize the importance of host culture media in the acculturation
process (Khan, 1992; Kim, 1988; Raman & Harwood, 2008) and overwhelmingly
support the notion that newcomers to a culture find media produced in their native
country or culture the most appealing (e.g., Durham, 2004; Hargreaves & Mahdjoub,
1997; Lee, 2004). As Internet usage rapidly increases, immigrants use the Internet as
their primary vehicle for media information and social support (Ye, 2006).
This essay proposes a theoretical model that demonstrates the relationships
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between cultural adaptation and the Internet; specifically, the essay analyzes the role
of social networking sites. Social networking sites have gained in popularity among
immigrants in many nations as a way not only to keep in touch with members of
their in-group, but also to foster relationships with members of their new dominant
cultural milieu.

Propositions
That media are a significant element of the cultural adaptation process is well
recognized. What has received less research attention is how social networking sites
affect the cultural adaptation process. Scholars studying the cultural adaptation
process have identified various media and interpersonal theories or frameworks that
predict adaptation or acculturation success. Raman and Harwood (2008) applied the
cultivation framework to the cultural adaptation process of Asian Indians to the
United States. Croucher, Oommen, and Steele (2009) and Croucher (2009) utilized
ethnic group vitality theory to understand the cultural adaptation of Muslims in
France. This essay utilizes both theories to develop propositions for new media use
and cultural adaptation.

Cultural Adaptation, Social Networking, and Cultivation

Cultivation theorists assert that heavy television use often leads to an inability to
distinguish the ‘‘reality’’ of television from objective reality (Gerbner & Gross, 1976;
Gerbner, Gross, Morgan, Signorielli, & Shanahan, 2002). Cultivation research has
found that, compared with light viewers, heavy television viewers are more likely to
provide television answers to questions related to social reality and thus are
‘‘cultivated’’ (Gerbner & Gross, 1977; Gerbner et al., 2002). The effects of cultivation
are divided into first- and second-order effects. First-order effects are approximations
regarding the significance of specific aspects of everyday life, such as crime and law
enforcement (Shrum, 1995). These are the general impressions people have about
what they learn from television. Second-order effects represent specific beliefs and
 Journal of International and Intercultural Communication 261

attitudes like political orientation and religious identification that can be based on
statistics garnered from television research. Moreover, second-order effects are often
more difficult to counter as they can be based on statistical accounts and deeply held
beliefs such as political and religious attitudes. Raman and Harwood (2008)
examined the relationships between cultivation, acculturation, and other types of
media including movies, magazines, newspapers, and the Internet. The authors
contend such media are integral to acculturation as each has global reach. When
exploring the moderators of the cultivation effect on acculturation levels, the authors
found that other media consumption, non-American produced, was a significant
predictor of acculturation levels. Hadj Hmida, Ozcaglar-Toulouse, and Fosse-Gomez
(2009) found the Internet is likely to influence the acculturation process.
One form of Internet particularly important in the cultural adaptation or
acculturation process is social networking sites (Chen, Bennett, & Maton, 2008;
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Croucher & Cronn-Mills, 2011; Tufekci, 2008). Such sites provide individuals
interpersonal connection with others, relational satisfaction, and a way to learn about
the surrounding cultural milieu. It is clear from the literature that media influence
how audiences perceive the surrounding environment (Chen et al., 2008; Tufekci,
2008). When immigrants migrate to a new culture, the use of social networking sites
will more than likely influence how they perceive the dominant culture, a cultivation
effect, which may impact their communication with host nationals. This behavioral
outcome is framed as a proposition (P):
P1: During cultural adaptation, the use of social networking sites affects
immigrants’ interactions with the dominant culture.
Operationally, this proposed relationship be evidenced through immigrants’ inter-
actions with the dominant culture, which include frequency of interaction with the
dominant culture, use of dominant or ethnic media, perception of the dominant
culture, familiarity with dominant language or cultural norms, identification with
dominant or ethnic culture, involvement in dominant political system, and
motivation to adapt or acculturate (Croucher, 2009; Kim, 1988, 2001). Overall,
increased social network use, particularly among individuals from the same social
group, will more than likely lead to decreased steps toward acculturation.

Cultural Adaptation, Social Networking, and Ethnic Group Vitality

Vitality is the idea that groups with higher status, demographic numbers, and
institutional support are likely to have more political and economic power than
others (Giles, Bourhis, & Taylor, 1977). Thus, group vitality is the strength with
which a social context supports a specific group (Giles & Coupland, 1991; Hecht,
Jackson, & Pitts, 2008). Groups generally able to maintain their identities and have
high vitality are frequently majority groups. Minority groups often lack power and
vitality, and many find it hard to exist as distinct groups and maintain unique
identities (Croucher et al., 2009; Giles et al., 1977). Therefore, in order to maintain
individual group identities, many minority groups retain and strengthen group
 262 S. M. Croucher

boundaries and ethnic and religious group memberships. The strengthening of group
identification, in opposition to the majority, often sets up an in-group/out-group
dichotomy (Tajfel, 1978).
One way many immigrant groups have established boundaries and defended their
group identity is through the Internet. Many scholars have found immigrant
populations in various nations use the Internet to reconnect with their homeland,
strengthen community ties, retro-acculturate, culturally adapt, and find intimate
partners (Chan, 2005; Croucher et al., 2009; Eriksen, 2007; Jandt, 2004; Mitra, 1997;
Wang et al., 2009). Croucher and Cronn-Mills (2011) discovered French-Muslim
immigrants use social networking sites to strengthen their Islamic identities at the
expense of their French identities, thus diminishing their desire to acculturate. Other
researchers have found similar results among different minority or ethnic groups
regarding the use of various Internet media to strengthen immigrant or ethnic
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identities (Clothier, 2005; Melkote & Liu, 2000; Mitra, 1997; Raman & Harwood,
2008; Wang et al., 2009). Ultimately, the use of social networking sites and other
Internet media affects the maintenance of ethnic group members’ identity. As
immigrants culturally adapt, the use of social networking sites will be utilized to
strengthen in-group identity. This behavioral outcome is framed as the following
proposition:
P2: During cultural adaptation, the use of social networking sites will affect
immigrants’ in-group communication.
From an operational perspective, this relationship should be evidenced through
frequency of immigrants’ online interactions with members of the dominant culture
and immigrant or ethnic groups in such areas as language choice during social
network use, selection of online groups, and choice of social networks (Croucher &
Cronn-Mills, 2011; Tufekci, 2008; Wang et al., 2009; Ye, 2006). These behaviors will
influence an immigrant’s level or desire to acculturate.

Conclusion
These propositions could lead to numerous hypotheses and/or research questions in
cultural adaptation or acculturation studies. From a cultivation perspective, future
studies could examine how the frequency of immigrant use of social networks such as
Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter affects immigrant adaptation processes in multiple
ways, including frequency of interaction with dominant culture, their use of
dominant and ethnic media, perception of the dominant culture, familiarity with
dominant language or cultural norms, identification with dominant or ethnic culture,
involvement in the dominant political system, and motivation to acculturate.
Regarding group vitality, empirical investigations could look at how online
interaction, language choice online, and choice of social networks influence the level
of acculturation and desire to acculturate.
This essay proposed ways to study the relationships between cultural adaptation
and the use of social networking sites. As such websites gain in popularity, their
 Journal of International and Intercultural Communication 263

role in the cultural adaptation process cannot be ignored. Intercultural commu-

nication scholars should continue recognizing the changing landscape of global
media and its concomitant effects on adaptation. This essay is one step in that
direction.

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