Methodology
In order to discover the impact social media have on intercultural adaptation, I conducted interviews of ten international students at the University of Rhode Island who were undergraduate and graduate students. These participants were born in another country other than
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the United States and have had the experience of adjusting to life at the university. The participants were recruited by email through referrals from my faculty sponsor, peers, and friends of the interviewees. The interviews were designed to see how the students use social media to adapt to life in the United States and maintain connections to their home countries. Observing the role and purpose that social media plays in international students’ lives, questions were asked regarding how social media influences their adjustment to the U.S. culture, relationships, sense of community, and their overall fulfillment and satisfaction. Table 1 shows the participants’ demographic information.