Acculturation & mediated intergroup contact : a study on migrants’ acculturation through social media in Singapore

Abstract

Globally, the growing popularity of anti-immigrant sentiments have resulted in rising tensions between migrants and citizens, revealing a pertinent need to examine ways to resolve intergroup conflict. The emergence of new information communication tools and Web 2.0 has substantially changed how migrants communicate and establish contact. With its ability to transcend time, space, and geographical boundaries, social media provide new possibilities for migrants to connect with their host societies. This study examines the relationships between intergroup contact via face to face interactions and mediated intergroup contact via social media behaviours with the acculturative preferences of migrants in a Singaporean context. A total of 144 responses were collected from four migrant groups, Malaysians, Indian nationals, Chinese nationals, and Westerners. While findings examining the relationships between social media and migrants’ acculturation were inconclusive, intergroup contact displayed associations with integration and separation acculturation preference. In addition, other notable findings include new media literacy as a significant predictor of the acculturative preferences of migrants.