Course:VANT149/2026/Capstone/Arts/Presentation45

Presenter: Yiran Ma

Abstract

My interest in this topic began when I noticed how first-year international students around me struggled to balance social media content with expectations from their home cultures, and how this affected whether they felt they belonged on campus. Previous research shows that social media shapes self-presentation and creates social pressure (Sadriani, 2023). Adams (2024) argues that social media generates tension between global ideas and local traditions. However, these studies have noted cultural tension but have not explained how it affects first-year international students' sense of belonging, nor how this changes over time. This gap matters because the first semester is a critical period for developing belonging, especially for international students adjusting to a new country. This proposed study asks: How does cultural tension from social media shape first-year international students' sense of belonging, and how does this change from September to April of their first semester? My research plan involves two rounds of semi-structured interviews with 10–12 first-year international students: once in the fall and again in the spring. I will ask them about moments when online content conflicted with their home cultural values, and how those moments made them feel about belonging on campus. Data will be analyzed using thematic analysis, comparing responses across the two time points. I anticipate finding that students' coping strategies and sense of belonging shift over the semester. Limitations include small sample size and self-report bias. This research is proposed and has not been conducted.

Biography

Yiran is a first-year student passionate about how social media and cultural identity shape everyday experiences. She enjoys photography and observing how different communities express themselves online and offline. She plans to pursue a degree in sociology or cultural studies.