Psychological, cultural and media aspects of the utilization of a second language: Greater motivation through cross-cultural communication

While the typical role of media research about Latin American students has focused on mass media, it is obvious that the Internet has become a far more important platform to young people who have grown up with the Internet due to its clear advantages and the tools it offers in the area of social media. Several studies have indicated that when international students arrive in the United States, they undergo a process of psychological adjustment and sociocultural adaptation, which may affect their ability to fit in or adjust to new social settings. The literature about the process of adaptation to the new society largely involves studies of multiple ethnicities. There are insufficient in-depth studies focused on the sociocultural adjustment of specifically Latino international students in the United States. The present study investigated how interaction with English-language media platforms on the Internet impacted the ability of Latin American international students older than 18 years of age to integrate into an American college community in the United States. This study also examined the extent to which their continued use of native-language Internet sources posed an obstacle to their ability to integrate into an American college community. This study helps provide some insight about how to reduce the isolation experienced by international students trying to adjust to the new communities they join.