The Impact of Social Network Sites Used by International Students in Education on Intercultural Communication in UK Universities

\nSocial Network Sites (SNS) are commonly used by students not only to socialise but also to share educational information and facilitate academic discussions. Moreover, SNS has played an essential role in adapting to foreign cultures, and international students rely on SNS to establish connections with the host societies and their home countries. Thus, SNS have provided an important platform for facilitating intercultural communication. Since SNS are commonly used by international students, it is believed that SNS used for educational purposes have a significant impact on intercultural communication. This study explored the ways in in which SNS are used for educational purposes by Chinese international students in UK universities, and how intercultural communication is formed via the exchanges between international students and local UK students on SNS. A survey was conducted, and the analysis of the results indicated that SNS have a significant impact on students’ learning. However, the level of intercultural communication in relation to education was found to be limited.\n