The Suitcase Full of Apps

If international students could unpack their phones at airport immigration, I imagine it would look like opening a suitcase full of apps. There might be WeChat or WhatsApp for family and friends, Instagram for classmates, LinkedIn for professional identity, Canvas for school, Xiaohongshu or Reddit for advice, and maybe several apps used only in one country or language community. The phone becomes more than a device. It becomes a map of different worlds.

The Pew research shows that social media use differs across countries. For example, Poushter, Bishop, and Chwe (2018) found that social media use has been rising in many developing countries, while it has leveled off in many developed countries. Gramlich (2024) also notes that Germans use social media comparatively lightly. These patterns show that social media habits are not universal.

International students in higher education need to know this. Universities may think they are communicating clearly when they post on Instagram, send emails, or share resources on their website. However, students may be used to different platforms, different levels of formality, and different ways of asking for help. It may be more convenient for some students to communicate in groups. Some look for advice in language-specific communities. Since some are still learning the norms of the new environment, they may quietly observe before participating.

This also connects to my interest in academic communication support for international students. When students struggle with communication, the issue is not only English. It can also be platform culture. What counts as polite? Is it okay to message a professor? Should I comment publicly? Is it better to email or ask in a group chat? These questions are small, but they shape whether students feel confident and included.

For social media to be good for international learners, it must feel like a bridge rather than a border. Students should be able to move between platforms, languages, and academic cultures easily. Colleges should stop assuming that all students have the same digital habits, and instead ask: What apps are already in students' suitcases, and how can we design support to meet their needs?

References

Gramlich, J. (2024). Germans stand out for their comparatively light use of social mediaLinks to an external site.. Pew Research Center.

Poushter, J., Bishop, C., & Chwe, H. (2018). Social media use continues to rise in developing countries but plateaus across developed onesLinks to an external site.. Pew Research Center.

 

Week 11 Reflection: Social Media Is Not the Same Everywhere

 In many U.S. classroom or university settings, people often assume that students use the same platforms, understand the same online habits, and feel comfortable communicating in the same ways. However, Week 11 reminded me that social media use is shaped by country, language, culture, access, and policy.

Poushter, Bishop, and Chwe (2018)‘s work showed that social media use has continued to rise in many developing countries, while growth has slowed or plateaued in many developed countries. Gramlich (2024) also shows that Germany stands out for its comparatively light use of social media. These examples reminded me that “global social media use” is not one simple story. Different countries have different patterns of adoption, comfort, and daily use.

This matters for higher education because international students may enter U.S. universities with very different social media habits. Some students may use WhatsApp, WeChat, LINE, KakaoTalk, or other platforms more than the tools that are common in the U.S. Some may also come from places where certain platforms are blocked, less trusted, or not widely used. If universities only design communication and support around U.S.-centered platforms, some students may be left out.

My biggest takeaway is that designing for international learners requires humility. Communication styles, platforms, languages, and communication platforms should not be assumed to work for everyone. Students' comfort with visibility and access to social media should be considered if social media is being used for educational or student support activities. There is no one audience for "international." It means sharing the same space with many different experiences.

References

Gramlich, J. (2024). Germans stand out for their comparatively light use of social mediaLinks to an external site.. Pew Research Center.

Poushter, J., Bishop, C., & Chwe, H. (2018). Social media use continues to rise in developing countries but plateaus across developed onesLinks to an external site.. Pew Research Center.

Learning at the Moment of Need: Performance Support

In higher education, I often imagine learning as something that happens in courses, workshops, or advising meetings. However, students also learn as they try to solve immediate problems. Social media tools can support people by helping them complete tasks when they need help. A social media post on learning can be designed as a small performance-support tool for international students. The goal was to make useful resources easier to find, save, and revisit.

Pinterest is interesting for this purpose because it excels at visual curation. Hu et al. (2018) show that Pinterest can serve as a socialized knowledge community in which educators share and organize professional resources. In my previous project, I used Pinterest similarly, but for international students rather than teachers. This also made me think about the difference between “information” and “support.” A university webpage may contain helpful information, but students still need to find it, understand why it matters, and know when to use it. Curation can help with that. By selecting resources and grouping them around a single purpose, a curator can turn scattered webpages into a more usable learning resource. 

Performance support is not the same as community. If I wanted my Pinterest board to become part of a larger support community, I would need more than pins. I might need a discussion space, peer feedback, moderation, and ongoing updates.

Social media can support higher education in small but meaningful ways. Not every learning experience needs to be a complete course. Sometimes students need quick, practical, trustworthy support when they are trying to do something. Good performance support helps people act with more confidence.

References

Hu, S., Torphy, K. T., Opperman, A., Jansen, K., & Lo, Y. J. (2018). What do teachers share within socialized knowledge communities: A case of PinterestLinks to an external site. Journal of Professional Capital and Community.

Week 9 Reflection

This week helped me see how social media can support learning when people share expertise and support one another in everyday or professional contexts. One idea is that the community needs a sense of purpose, interaction, norms, trust, and some form of ongoing value for its members. Adams et al. (2023) emphasize that communities of practice need intentional design, facilitation, equity, digital learning considerations, and sustainability. Designing for the community is important. Social media can help a community form and grow; a crucial part of this is providing emotional support, making it easier for newcomers to join the community.

Social media can support performance support. Performance support provides help when people need to perform a task. Hu et al. (2018) show that Pinterest can serve as a socialized knowledge community in which teachers share resources and professional knowledge. This made me reflect on how curation can support learning outside a formal course. This connects to my broader interest in higher education because students also need support beyond formal classroom learning. They need networks, resources, and communities that help them navigate academic life.

References

Adams, S., Tesene, M., Gay, K., Brokos, M., Swindell, A., McGuire, A., & Rettler-Pagel, T. (2023, Mar 7). Communities of practice in higher education: A playbook for centering equity, digital learning, and continuous improvement. Every Learner Everywhere. https://www.everylearnereverywhere.org/resources/communities-of-practice-in-higher-education

Hu, S., Torphy, K. T., Opperman, A., Jansen, K., & Lo, Y. J. (2018). What do teachers share within socialized knowledge communities: A case of PinterestLinks to an external site. Journal of Professional Capital and Community.