Internet Use and Cross-Cultural Adaptation: Testing a Model of Internet Use in the Cross-Cultural Adaptation Context

The growth of new communication technologies has presented new challenges to traditional cross-cultural adaptation (CCA) research. Guided by uses and gratifications (U&G) theory, we proposed a model of Internet use in CCA, investigating how individual differences, Internet use motives, and Internet use influenced Chinese students’ CCA. Eight Internet use motives were identified in the CCA context, including social involvement, acculturation, pass time, information, entertainment, convenience, companionship, and ethnic maintenance. The results showed that loneliness, English competence, separation attitude, and convenience motivation predicted socio-cultural adaptation; Loneliness, English competence, information motivation, entertainment motivation, pass time motivation, and American Internet use predicted psychological adaptation. The findings partially supported the proposed model. Implications for CCA and U&G research were discussed.