Cultural Phenomena intersects with Digital Technology!
So this is truly interesting.. I have just learned the difference in Eastern vs Western cultures. China is a collective culture - meaning they are more concerned with family community and groups than individualistic. The US is considered individualistic, not so much family group and/or community as a whole. How does this translate in the digital world regarding social networking sites (SNS)?
Interestingly there is a cultural difference! In the article, Cultural differences in social media site use: A comparative study of China and the United States, it turns out, China spends less time on SNS usage than the United States. This is due to their need to interact and be a part of a family, group atmosphere. Where as the United States are more individualistic, spending more time on SNS usage.
Over 400 college student participants from a Southwestern University in Chongqing, China, and 490 college participants from a Midwestern University in the US completed a survey about their use of SNSs – time spent, importance and motives for use. (Jackson, L; Wang, J. vol 29; issue 3, p.910-921; 2013). Their findings do not surprise me as the collectivistic cultures (China) prioritize the importance of family, friends and their groups over SNS usage. On the flip side the individualistic cultures (USA) spent more time on SNS usage as they are more concerned with the importance of "self" and "more" friends vs the closeness of friends. Very interesting....
This is really all I could find on the cultural differences. Other then the format and types of SNS is a little different as well. Such as China prefers more pictures, emojis and soft pastel color texts for their SNS pages while the US uses more of text book color and not as many pictures. Awww the beauty of diversity!
I thought this was really interesting: here is some information on what different countries use the SNS for:
China: staying in touch with a friend is the most frequent use of social media
Japan: people use mainly social media to research products to buy. Japanese people have the least appetite for Facebook with 3% of users on it. The most popular Japanese platform is Ameba. It is visited by 38% of Japanese people online. Blogging is very popular in Japan
South Korea: staying up-to-date on news and events was the most popular. South Korea is in the top ten markets in the world when it comes to internet population. Naver, is attracting 95 percent of the Korean Internet population.
India: researching for work topped the social media usage motivation. 70 percent of social media users in India identify Orkut as their preferred social media site.
Australia: staying in touch with friends is the most common activity. Australia leads the world in social media engagement, with the highest global average for time spent per month engaging with social media, averaging over seven hours per month. LinkedIn has seen one of the fastest growth trends amongst social media sites in Australia, with unique audience numbers increasing by 99 percent from July 2009 to May 2010
2-Europe: Facebook’s reach is the widest in Italy, (69%) followed by UK(66%) Spain(57%), France (57%)
U.K.: researching product purchases
France: staying in touch with friends is the dominating motivation
The Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Russia: staying current on news and events leads the way
3-Americas:
Brazil’s motivation to use social media was unique and focused on “researching how to do things.”
The US, ranked researching products to buy as the number one motivation of social media activity. Watching video online is surprisingly low in the US compared to other regions.
References:
Cultural differences in social media site use: A comparative study of China and the United States
I-Regional and country trends on purpose and ways of using social media
posted by Unknown @ 8:54 PM
11 Comments
11 Comments:
This is really a very interesting post. I knew that there was probably some sort of difference in usage of SNS due to the culture differences, but I didn't think it would be that much. It is true that Americans are very individualistic thinkers, whereas Chinese are more family-oriented, so I can understand the large difference in SNS usage. Very interesting, but I'm surprised that was all you could find on the differences. It's also cool that there are country-wide trends in what the internet is mainly used for - I never thought Australia would top us for Facebook usage!
Cressy,
Very interesting post! I wish my country was listed up here too, it would have been really amazing to read about my country's SNS!
I studied in my communication class about individualism and collectivism. I think I fall under the latter category as family and friends form a very important and big part in my life so much and so that all my decisions are made keeping my family in mind. When I moved here two years ago, I was so surprised to see the individualistic approach that almost everyone had. I guess this is one of the major differences between the eastern and the western culture. Both are right in their own way and both have their positives and negatives.
The most interesting one I found was ok UK researching about product! I never thought that this thing of all things would be the most researched thing on web!
Great post overall!
Hey Cressy, I really enjoyed reading this post. I have noticed that in some countries families are a lot closer…for example my family is from the Middle East and everything we do is based on our family’s decision, so it makes sense to me how some countries would need that face to face interaction. I think it is so important for people to actually spend time with each other since humans are social…and I know that in the U.S. we are considered individualistic but still…being addicted to the internet and things like that can be addicting and it might even lead to depression.
Wow, the focus of each culture explains so much about our technology usage. I thought that internet addiction was more prominent in Asian countries, am I wrong? Though I know the U.S. was up there. I guess it makes sense that the use of technology is different with others using it for social purposes such as connecting with friends. I was not expecting the biggest use in the U.S. to be consumerism, buying products online because I am not an online shopper. It makes sense though, with major marketplace sites like Amazon and Ebay being based in the U.S. Interesting read, thanks!
Hi Cressy, I have read you last posts and they have been very interesting. I think it is because the topic is something we can all currently relate to in some way with ourselves or people we know. These are really cool facts though. To see how much other countries interact with the internet and whatnot. I think America is quickly becoming highly dependent on the internet. I am shocked to see video watching is not big in the US as that is all I really do online. Furthemore I am surprised that Australia is the most social media dependent country. I have really enjoyed reading your articles and I wish you the best.
I can definitely see where the United States would be more of a social network kind of country. I saw on the news the other day that very young kids, maybe around the ages of 4 and 5, were complaining to their parents about not letting them have the ipad so they can go look on facebook. Now I am not sure if they meant their own facebook or their parents, but the thought of it still shocked me. Yes i got to use the computer when I was little but i had my own computer games to play, even though they were slower than dirt on Windows 95, but it was for educational purposes. Now these kids have their own 500 dollar tablets playing games that I wish I could play now. These kids are going to be spoiled rotten! Whatever happened to playing sports, or going on adventures outside? This is something that seems distant to kids growing up now.
Hi Cressy, as soon as I read the title of your post, I knew where this was going. In my case, I can’t even remember last time I made a phone call. Today, text messaging is the main channel for communication with each other. This example is a clear reflection of what your post is about. Our society has become individualistic where we tend to be more social online than in real life. You are right when you mention Eastern culture being a more collective culture than Western culture. I read an article that stated the more addictive people get to social networks the more consequences they will develop in their health and personal relations. For example, people would tend to be less productive at work, they would find social networks as an escape of relaxation, and it is an indication of social anxiety.
Cressy,
I thought this was a very interesting and very relatable article. Probably because I am from India and I moved here when I was 13. I grew up in a country that emphasized the whole group and family dynamic and then moved to country where individuality was valued the most. It was a huge culture shock for me. I can also say that my upbringing influenced my social media usage. I don't use Facebook and twitter a lot. In fact the only reason I have both accounts is because my friends forced me. I can totally understand where this post is coming from. Great job!
Cressy,
Very interesting approach you took with this post. I like how you looked at the use of SNS in different countries and how they use it a lot less than the United States. I wash sure that the US usage would be a significant amount more than other countries. I'm sure if I were to visit a foreign country the last hing I would want to do is be on my phone on social media, I'd want to enjoy my surroundings and be at one with where I am at the moment. Although Australia did beat us on FB usage, I can still see the the US is a lot more engaged on our mobile devices. Great post ! I enjoyed reading your blog.
This is something I struggle with on a regular basis. After a long day of work its a very real challenge to not turn on the television or surf the web and, instead complete homework, study or prepare for the next day. Like your article discusses, it all comes down to discipline. The difference is night and day when compating productivity while simultaneously using social media with focused, distraction-free productivity.
Hi Cressy,
I know that for me, internet usage is a huge part of my life. I find myself constantly being distracted and tend to procrastinate on my assignments by browsing the internet or getting lost in a string of youtube videos. I also found it interesting that China uses less social media than the United States. I am from Korea and I know that internet and online usage is huge over there (especially online gaming). The data that you showed is interesting and really highlights the differences between cultures and how they compare to one another.
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