Page 164 - Never Too Far Away? The Roles of Social Network Sites in Sojourners’ Adjustment

by proposing a concurrent communication view in conceptualizing social interactions, recent developments in communication technology were accounted for. The concurrent communication model predicted that international sojourners use face-to-face and SNS channels concomitantly (Dienlin et al., 2017; English, et al., 2017; Rui & Wang, 2015). This implies that the use of one communication channel does not necessary displace another, and they might have differential impacts on outcomes despite concurrent use.
Moreover, this dissertation incorporated a transactional view of media effects (Slater, 2015; Valkenburg et al., 2016). The reciprocal effects between social interactions and subjective outcomes (i.e., perceived social support and homesickness); as well as subjective outcomes and adjustment (i.e., psychological and sociocultural) were tested. With the assumption of reciprocal effects, this dissertation was also able to validate the two-process view on SNS use by Sheldon et al. (2011) by demonstrating a possible mechanism for the co-occurrence of two opposing effects in relation to SNS use.
Additionally, this dissertation advances theorizing by showing that the relevance of SNSs in sojourners’ adjustment goes beyond the personal level (i.e., perceived social support), and that SNSs also play a facilitative role at the relational level (i.e., relationship support); consistent with a social network perspective on romantic relationships (Felmlee, 2001).
Practical Implications
This dissertation provides a set of results that specifies when, with whom, and which relational contexts SNS interactions might be helpful for sojourners. For instance, SNS use might be relatively less beneficial in a broad relational context compared to a more specific relational context. In the context of romantic relationships, SNS could provide a sense of stability, continuity, and closeness among sojourners with their partners. These findings could be informative and useful for research on the reintegration process of sojourners.
The findings bear some insights that could be useful for formal support providers (e.g., counselors, school-based or community-based organizations, university offices or corporate departments that deal with international sojourners, scholarship grant providers, government institutions, etc.) in designing concerted programs and services for sojourners. For instance, programs should gear towards
162 Summary