SOCIAL MEDIA-MEDIATED NEGOTAITION OF CULTURAL VALUES AND NORMS AMONG CHINESE STUDENTS IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

Research on the cultural adaptation and psychological adjustment of international students abroad has been carried out extensively; however, relatively little attention has been paid to digitally mediated intercultural communication in Southeast Asian multicultural contexts, and specifically, how social media platforms shape emotional belonging, identity negotiation and participation norms. Therefore, this paper will address the above problem by redefining intercultural communication among Chinese international students in Malaysia as a platform-based communication process in a digital environment. Based on mediatisation theory, intercultural communication theory and digital identity studies, this conceptual paper develops an integrated framework to explain how platform affordances and algorithmic visibility shape four interconnected dimensions: platformised emotional belonging, digital intercultural participation, hybrid digital identity negotiation, and emotional visibility pressure. The framework shows that today's cross-cultural communication often occurs in communication ecologies shaped by online visibility, transnational connectivity and norms of emotional mediation. This study adds to the body of research on intercultural communication by extending mediatisation theory to the context of digital international students and providing a conceptual basis for future qualitative research on digitally mediated intercultural experiences among Chinese students in Malaysia.