Exploring the influence of social media use motivations on acculturation orientations and psychological adaptation among Chinese students in Malaysia

Social media has become an essential part of international students' daily lives. As the world becomes increasingly globalized and communication and transportation systems rapidly develop, the number of international students is growing remarkably. Consequently, the influence of social media on the psychological adaptation of international students has become a matter of concern. However, the relationship between these two factors remains inconclusive. Moreover, there is a scarcity of studies investigating the influence of social media use motivations on the psychological adaptation of international students. Previous research has evidenced that the relationship is indirect, but limited studies have identified psychological mechanisms such as acculturation orientations. Therefore, this study aims to identify the mediating role of acculturation orientations (Malaysian and Chinese cultural orientations) in the relationship between social media use motivations (information seeking, social, and entertainment motivations) and the psychological adaptation of Chinese students in Malaysia. An online survey was administered, employing the convenience sampling technique to collect data from a sample of Chinese international students in Malaysia. A total of 438 questionnaires were analysed by using SPSS and AMOS software. The results demonstrated that three types of use motivations can help Chinese students improve their psychological adaptation in Malaysia, while entertainment motivations have the greatest influence. Likewise, acculturation orientations also benefited psychological adaptation, with mainstream orientations having a stronger contribution. Furthermore, this study reported an indirect mechanism whereby information seeking and social motivations influenced psychological adaptation through Malaysian and Chinese cultural orientations. The findings suggested that Chinese students can use social media purposefully to obtain a better psychological adaptation in Malaysia. Besides, social media designers can enhance the functions and services of social media to provide more support for international students. Relevant departments and educators in Malaysia should appreciate the role of social media and acculturation orientations in helping international students have a better overseas experience and enhance Malaysia's competitiveness in the international education market.