Social Media: Influences and Impacts on Culture

Abstract

Advanced technologies of communication have brought influences and impacts on cultures. There are views that the influences and impacts are brought forward by social media which has been a powerful tool that can affect and form human behaviors as well as culture. Social media may have crossed the boundaries of culture due to the concept of borderless. Facebook may have been the social media that connects people around the world with massive cultural backgrounds to meet at the platform. The media content uploaded may spark the invasion of culture. There are many other social media which come with influencers that may shout about different values and practices around. Local cultures had therefore slowly lost their identities and replaced with a cross-cultural phenomenon. The cultural values invaded may include human behaviors, beliefs, values or even fashion and lifestyle. This research is to examine the factors of cross cultural communication, the reasons of culture being influenced by foreign countries through social media and the possibility of cultural invasion through social media. Social Influence theory is used in this research. Social influence occurs when a person’s emotions, opinions or behaviors are affected by others intentionally or unintentionally. Online survey Google Form is used at the target of 150 respondents aged between 18 to 25 years old. There is a contradicting view that people will lose their own culture after viewing too much of online content. The online activities and actions will slowly lead them to the change without their realization.

The authors acknowledged the raw material provided by Khoo Rose Lyn and Yong Zheng Wai.

Appendix 1

Section A

Please Click (✓) For Your Choice

• 1. Gender:

  • □ Male

  • □ Female

• 2. Age:

  • □ 18–19

  • □ 20–21

  • □ 22–23

  • □ 24–25

• 3. Student ID:   ________________________________________________

Section B – Culture

Please Click (✓) For Your Choice

No.	Questions	Strongly agree	Agree	Disagree	Strongly disagree
1.	Culture is important
2.	Culture gives us identity
3.	Culture makes us different
4.	I like foreign culture

• 5. In your opinion, how has the local culture been influenced?

  • □ Overseas media/social media content through internet

  • □ Foreign culture is better than local culture

  • □ Did not practice own culture well

  • □ Other than the above:   _______________________

Section C – Social Media and Culture

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• 6. What is your view if local culture is influenced?

  • □ Positive

  • □ Negative

(If POSITIVE, proceed to 7a; NEGATIVE, proceed to 7b)

• 7a. If positive, why?

  • □ It is good if we accept other culture

  • □ It is more educational

  • □ Other cultures are better

  • □ Others:   ________________________________________________________

• 7b. If negative, why?

  • □ Culture makes us who we are in identity

  • □ Culture is important

  • □ Others:   ________________________________________________________

No.	Questions	Strongly agree	Agree	Disagree	Strongly disagree
8.	Social media is strong in bringing in foreign culture
9.	Social media influences your culture
10.	People start practicing foreign behavior after viewing social media content
11.	People start speaking foreign language after viewing social media content
12.	People start learning foreign lifestyle after viewing social media content
13.	People start learning foreign fashion after viewing social media content

Section D – Effects of Social Media on Culture

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No.	Question	Strongly agree	Agree	Disagree	Strongly disagree
14.	Social media brings negative effects on culture
15.	People imitate too much of foreign culture
16.	People should not follow too much of foreign culture
17.	People lost their own culture after viewing social media content
18.	Instead of imitating foreign culture, people should also remain with own culture
19.	Cultural invasion is a serious issue