Social Media for Social Support

A Study of International Graduate Students in the United States

Authors

  • Annalise Baines University of Kansas
  • Muhammad Ittefaq University of Kansas
  • Mauryne Abwao University of Kansas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v12i2.3158

Keywords:

higher education, interview, SNS, social support, social media, graduate students, international students

Abstract

Based on 15 in-depth interviews, the present study aims to understand the common challenges international graduate students face and the coping strategies they employed, types of social networking sites (SNS) used, and social support sought from their relationship during graduate school. Common challenges faced are loneliness, stress, feeling overwhelmed with graduate school, and difficulties adjusting to a new culture. Coping strategies include sharing experiences with relations whom they trust and understand their situation, and joining online communities via SNS. The participants use both public and private SNS to seek social support depending on the various functionalities offered. SNS use depends on the affordances such as convenience, affordability, trust issues, and privacy. Most sought-after types of social support are emotional and informational via SNS.

Author Biographies

  • Annalise Baines, University of Kansas

    Annalise Baines is a PhD student in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Kansas, United States. Her research focuses on environmental, health and marketing communications, digital technologies, and marginalized groups. Her research has been published in several academic journals including Vaccines, Newspaper Research Journal, and Frontiers in Communication. Email: annalise.baines@ku.edu Twitter: @AnnaliseFBaines

  • Muhammad Ittefaq, University of Kansas

    Muhammad Ittefaq is a Ph.D. candidate in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas, United States. He obtained his M.A. in Media and Communication Science from Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany. His research focuses on health communication, social media, misinformation, health disparities, racial minorities, and the Global South. His research has been published in various academic journals including International Journal of Communication, Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism, Journalism Practice, Media International Australia, Third World quarterly, Vaccine, Psychology & Health, American Journal of Health Education, and Health, Risk & Society. His dissertation focuses on the use of social media by US local health departments during COVID-19 and how they correct health misinformation during the early phase of the pandemic. Twitter: @IttefaqM Email: muhammadittefaq@ku.edu

  • Mauryne Abwao, University of Kansas

    Mauryne Abwao is a Ph.D. Candidate at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas. Her research concentrates on the following areas health communication, environmental racism, culture, and media representation of persons with disabilities, and the reproductive health rights of persons with disabilities. Her research has been published in several journals including Vaccine, Vaccines, Frontiers in Communication, Psychology & Health, American Journal of Health Education, and Vaccines. Additionally, she has published a book chapter with Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. 

References

Ahmad, S., Mustafa, M., & Ullah, A. (2016). Association of demographics, motives and intensity of using Social Networking Sites with the formation of bonding and bridging social capital in Pakistan. Computers in Human Behavior, 57, 107-114.

Ali, A., & Kohun, F. (2006). Dealing with isolation feelings in IS doctoral programs. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 1(1), 21-33.

Antonucci, T., Akiyama, H., & Takahashi, K. (2004). Attachment and close relationships across the life span. Attachment & Human Development, 6(4), 353-370.

Antonucci, T. C., Ajrouch, K. J., & Birditt, K. S. (2014). The convoy model: Explaining social relations from a multidisciplinary perspective. The Gerontologist, 54(1), 82-92.

Baym, N. K. (1998). The emergence of an on-line community. In S. G. Jones (Ed.), Cybersociety 2.0: Revisiting Computer-Mediated Communication and Community (pp. 35-68). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Bicen, H. (2015). Determination of university students’ reasons of using social networking sites in their daily life. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 190, 519-522.

boyd, D. M., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210-230.

Braithwaite, D. O., Waldron, V. R., & Finn, J. (1999). Communication of social support in computer-mediated groups for people with disabilities. Health Communication, 11(2), 123–151.

Bucher, T., & Helmond, A. (2018). The Affordances of Social Media Platforms. In J. Burgess, A. Marwick, & T. Poell (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Social Media (pp. 233–253). Sage Publications.

Byers, V. T., Smith, R. N., Hwang, E., Angrove, K. E., Chandler, J. I., Christian, K. M., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2014). Survival strategies: Doctoral students’ perceptions of challenges and coping methods. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 9, 109-136.

Cahir, N., & Morris, R. D. (1991). The psychology student stress questionnaire. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 47(3), 414-417.

Castillo-Montoya, M. (2016). Preparing for interview research: The interview protocol refinement framework. The Qualitative Report, 21(5), 811-831.

Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide Through Qualitative Analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Colman, D. E., Echon, R., Lemay, M. S., McDonald, J., Smith, K. R., Spencer, J., & Swift, J. K. (2016) The efficacy of self-care for graduate students in professional psychology: A meta-analysis. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 10(4), 188-197.

Correa, T., Hinsley, A. W., & De Zuniga, H. G. (2010). Who interacts on the web? The intersection of users’ personality and social media use. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(2), 247-253.

Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook “friends”: Social capital and college students’ use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1143-1168.

Ellison, N. B., Vitak, J., Gray, R., & Lampe, C. (2014). Cultivating social resources on social network sites: Facebook relationship maintenance behaviors and their role in social capital processes. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19(4), 855-870.

Elsaadani, M. (2012). Exploration of teaching staff and students’ preferences of information and communication technologies in private and academic lives. International Journal of Computer Science Issues, 9(2), 396-402.

El-Ghoroury, N. H., Galper, D. I., Sawaqdeh, A., & Bufka, L. F. (2012). Stress, coping, and barriers to wellness among psychology graduate students. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 6(2), 122-124.

Erba, J. (2018). Media representations of Latina/os and Latino students’ stereotype threat behavior. Howard Journal of Communications, 29(1), 83-102.

Goplerud, E. N. (1980). Social support and stress during the first year of graduate school. Professional Psychology, 11(2), 283-290.

Hampton, K., Sessions Goulet, L., & Purcell, K. (2011, June). Social networking sites and our lives. https://www.pewinternet.org/2011/06/16/social-networking-sites-and-our-lives/

House, J.S. (1981). Work Stress and Social Support. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Hyun, S. H. (2019). International graduate students in American higher education: Exploring academic and non-academic experiences of international graduate students in non-STEM fields. International Journal of Educational Research, 96, 56-62.

Jackson, P. B. (1992). Specifying the buffering hypothesis: Support, strain, and depression. Social Psychology Quarterly, 55(4), 363-378.

Jacob, S. A., & Furgerson, S. P. (2012). Writing interview protocols and conducting interviews: Tips for students new to the field of qualitative research. The Qualitative Report, 17(42), 1-10.

Jairam, D., & Kahl Jr, D. H. (2012). Navigating the doctoral experience: The role of social support in successful degree completion. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 7(31), 1-329.

Kahn, R. L., & Antonucci, T. C. (1980). Convoys over the life course: Attachment, roles, and social support. In Baltes P.B. Brim O. (Eds.), Life-Span Development and Behavior (pp. 254-283). New York: Academic Press.

Kalpidou, M., Costin, D., & Morris, J. (2011). The relationship between Facebook and the well-being of undergraduate college students. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14(4), 183-189.

Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59-68.

Kaufman, P., & Feldman, K. A. (2004). Forming identities in college: A sociological approach. Research in Higher Education, 45(5), 463-496.

Kelly, M. (2005). Psychological adaptation to graduate school: How to smell the roses while burning the midnight oil. Behavior Therapist, 28(3), 57-59.

Kim, H. (2014). Enacted social support on social media and subjective well-being. International Journal of Communication, 8(1), 2201-2221.

Khawaja, N. G., Chan, S., & Stein, G. (2017). The Relationship Between Second Language Anxiety and International Nursing Students Stress. Journal of International Students, 7(3), 601-620.

Kwon, O., & Yixing, W. (2010). An Empirical Study of the Factors Affecting Social Network Service Use. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(2), 254-263.

Lampe, C., Ellison, N. B., & Steinfield, C. (2006). A Face(book) in the crowd: Social searching vs. social browsing. In Proceedings of the 2006 20th Anniversary Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (pp. 167-170).

Lee, C. J. (2009). The experience of nurse faculty members enrolled in doctoral study. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 4(1), 59-75.

Lamont, M., & Swidler, A. (2014). Methodological pluralism and the possibilities and limits of interviewing. Qualitative Sociology, 37(2), 153-171.

Li, X., Chen, W., & Popiel, P. (2015). What happens on Facebook stays on Facebook? The implications of Facebook interaction for perceived, receiving, and giving social support. Computers in Human Behavior, 51, 106-113.

Light, B., Burgess, J., & Duguay, S. (2018). The walkthrough method: An approach to the study of apps. New Media & Society, 20(3), 881-900.

Lin, J. H., Peng, W., Kim, M., Kim., S. Y., & LaRose, R. (2012). Social networking and adjustments among international students. New Media & Society, 14(3), 4210-440.

Mallinckrodt, B., & Leong, F. T. (1992). International graduate students, stress, and social support. Journal of College Student Development, 33(1), 71-78.

McAlpine, L., Skakni, I., & Pyhältö, K. (2020). PhD experience (and progress) is more than work: Life-work relations and reducing exhaustion (and cynicism). Studies in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1744128

McCarthy, J. (2010). Blended learning environments: Using social networking sites to enhance the first-year experience. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(6).

McCarthy, N. (2019). Where America's International Students Come From. Statista. https://www.statista.com/chart/20010/international-enrollment-in-higher-education/

Nabi, R. L., Prestin, A., & So, J. (2013). Facebook friends with (health) benefits? Exploring social network site use and perceptions of social support, stress, and well-being. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(10), 721–727.

Natriello, G. (2002). Leaving the ivory tower: The causes and consequences of departure from doctoral study by Barbara E. Lovitts. American Journal of Sociology, 108(3), 679-681.

Perrin, A., & Anderson, M. (2019, April). Share of U.S. adults using social media, including Facebook, is mostly unchanged since 2018. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/10/share-of-u-s-adults-using-social-media-including-facebook-is-mostly-unchanged-since-2018/

Phua, J., Jin, S. V., & Kim, J. J. (2017). Uses and gratifications of social networking sites for bridging and bonding social capital: A comparison of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Computers in Human Behavior, 72, 115-122.

Rains, S. A., & Young, V. (2009). A meta-analysis of research on formal computer-mediated support groups: Examining group characteristics and health outcomes. Human Communication Research, 35(3), 309-336.

Reblin, M., & Uchino, B.N. (2008). Social and emotional support and its implication for health. Current Opinions in Psychiatry, 21(2), 201 205.

Rubin. J. H. & Rubin, I. S. (1995). Qualitative Interviewing. The Art of Hearing Data. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Rufas, A., & Hine, C. (2018). Everyday connections between online and offline: Imagining others and constructing community through local online initiatives. New Media & Society, 20(10), 3879-3897.

Ruggiero, T. E. (2000). Uses and gratifications theory in the 21st century. Mass Communication and Society, 3, 3-37.

Schwartz-Mette, R. A. (2009). Challenges in addressing graduate student’s impairment in academic professional psychology programs. Ethics & Behavior, 19(2), 91-102.

Seidman, G. (2013). Self-presentation and belonging on Facebook: How personality influences social media use and motivations. Personality and Individual Differences, 54(3), 402-407.

Seo, H., Harn, R. W., Ebrahim, H., & Aldana, J. (2016). International students’ social media use and social adjustment. First Monday, 21(11).

Straumsheim, C. (2014, April 7). Social media scholarship. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/04/07/social-media-may-benefit-international-students-and-group-projects-researchers-argue

Stubb, J., Pyhältö, K., & Lonka, K. (2011). Balancing between inspiration and exhaustion: PhD students’ experienced socio-psychological well-being. Studies in Continuing Education, 33(1), 33-50.

Thompson, B. (2008). How college freshmen communicate student academic support: A grounded theory study. Communication Education, 57(1), 123-144.

Toff, B., & Nielsen, R. K. (2018). “I just Google it”: Folk theories of distributed discovery. Journal of Communication, 68(3), 636-657.

Valenzuela, S., Park, N., & Kee, K. F. (2009). Is there social capital in a social network site? Facebook use and college students’ life satisfaction, trust, and participation. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 14(4), 875–901.

van Rooij, E., Fokkens-Bruinsma, M., & Jansen, E. (2019). Factors that influence PhD candidates’ success: The importance of PhD project characteristics. Studies in Continuing Education, 1-20.

Wang, G., Zhang, W., & Zeng, R. (2019). WeChat use intensity and social support: The moderating effect of motivators for WeChat use. Computers in Human Behavior, 91, 244-251.

Wimmer, R. D., & Dominick, J. R. (1994). Mass Media Research: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Wright, K., & Bell, S. B. (2003). Health-related support groups on the Internet: Linking empirical findings to social support and computer-mediated communication theory. Journal of Health Psychology, 8(1), 39-54.

Wright, K. (1999). Computer-mediated support groups: An examination of relationships among social support, perceived stress, and coping strategies. Communication Quarterly, 47(4), 402-414.

Xu, S., & Jiang, S. (2018). Understanding the digital native behaviors of college students from computer experience. In 2018 Seventh International Conference of Educational Innovation through Technology (EITT), Auckland, New Zealand, 53-56.

Zhou, Y., Jindal-Snap, D., Topping, K., & Todman, J. (2008). Theoretical models of culture shock and adaptation in international students in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 33(1), 63-75.

Zhou, Y., Zhang, H., & Stodolska, M. (2018). Acculturative stress and leisure among Chinese international graduate students. Leisure Sciences, 40(6), 557-577.

Downloads

Published

2021-11-19

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 2 (2022)

Section

Research Articles (English)

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Journal of International Students

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

All published articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported License.

How to Cite

Social Media for Social Support: A Study of International Graduate Students in the United States. (2021). Journal of International Students, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v12i2.3158