The Influence of Social Media on the Cognition of Chinese Students in Malaysia

Abstract

Malaysia is currently one of the most popular study destinations for overseas Chinese students. At the same time, due to global educational status and better media technology facilities, including social media, more Chinese students tend to live or study abroad. However, the different patterns of social media at home and abroad have created a cognitive gap among overseas Chinese students in Malaysia. Qualitative in-depth interviews and Focus group discussions with more than a dozen overseas Chinese students studying in Malaysia showed that social media use has multiple impacts and aids in structuring learning, lifestyle influences, and the relationship between social media use and cognitive formation. The findings suggest that China’s local social media has been identified as a widespread use by overseas Chinese students for cross-border daily interpersonal communication. It not only helps to construct the lifestyle of overseas Chinese students, but also helps maintain their social perception as “Chinese” by generating the image of home.