Social Media Use and Social Integration: A cross-cultural comparison of Turks and Koreans in Germany using a mixed methods approach

Abstract

The present dissertation explores the role social media use plays in the construction of social integration orientations of young adults with a migration background living in Germany. The focus is particularly on young adults with a Turkish migration background and young adults with a Korean migration background. Conceptually, an interdisciplinary framework based on the Uses and Gratifications Theory from communication studies, Berry’s acculturation model from psychology, and Esser’s social integration dimension from sociology, has been developed which distinguishes between social integration orientations offline and social integration orientations online when using social media. Empirically, a mixed methods approach has been employed, combining focus group discussion with an online questionnaire. This research is the first to extend integration research of ethnic groups to social media use by developing an interdisciplinary conceptual framework to distinguish between social integration offline and online and to conduct a cross-cultural comparison between Turks and Koreans in Germany. The results of this research contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between social media use and social integration orientations of young adults with a migration background. This dissertation aims at promoting both more interdisciplinary approaches and methodological variety in this research field. The findings offer important conceptual and practical implications for social media use and integration.