A3: Data Collection and Analysis  

Results report:  

After preliminary basic survey preparation, selection of research participants, organization  
of focus group activities, data collection and analysis, we finally got the results about how  
social media will affect people's cultural identity. In general, the results can be divided into  
two parts, namely, the cultural impact of social media on people who do not use it often  
and are not proficient in it, and the cultural impact of social media on people who use it  
intensively. For people who often use social media, social media enables them to have an  
online social circle, find more like-minded friends, and master and develop more skills. For  
people who do not use social media often, social media allows them to collect information  
faster, seek help from others, change the way they contact their families, and change their  
ideas and political positions. In addition to their differences, social media will enable all  
people to understand the diverse ideas of people from other countries and cultures,  
promote the concept of low-cost international communication, and enrich personal culture  
in a positive way with a large base.  

It can be seen from the results that most people have a positive impression on social media.  
Among the eight participants, five chose to like social media and their own unique culture,  
six thought they could not escape from social media life, and seven thought social media  
had brought them benefits. It can be seen that whether they are proficient in using social  
media or not, they are willing to try to contact and understand social media.  

After the voting session, in order to better exchange and understand each other's views,  
all participants and moderators gathered in the online meeting to discuss five topics.  
First of all, when introducing their own culture, many people mentioned etiquette, respect,  
filial piety, etc. It is obvious that several participants from China are more introverted in  
their descriptions and confident in the cultural output of their own countries, while other  
participants from Western countries are more extroverted and frequently mention the key  
word individualism.  

When people with more introverted and introverted cultural understanding mentioned the  
impact of social media on their skills and personality, they said they could speak freely  
online and socialize more actively and extrovertly. At the same time, they can have the  
opportunity to know more people with the same interests or who have only a small chance  
to know in life. From a broad perspective, participants from China will pay more attention  
to online communication. When they mention personal social networking and activity  
preferences, they will refer more to social media. On the contrary, participants from the  
United States and Australia prefer offline contact information, and their acceptance of the  
times and technology is more old-fashioned. When people with more introverted and  
introverted cultural understanding mentioned the impact of social media on their skills and  
personality, they said they could speak freely online and socialize more actively and  
extrovertly. At the same time, they can have the opportunity to know more people with the  
same interests or who have only a small chance to know in life. On the contrary, the  
participants with more extroverted understanding of their own culture believed that when  
they used social media, they were more likely to discover their own skills and change the  
way they solved problems in daily life than social media brought them changes. For  
example, they will seek help on social media, collect the latest information and news, and  
share information.  
Finally, what these two groups have in common is the multicultural changes brought about  
by social media and the changes in their ideas and concepts caused by hot topics. No  
matter whether they are proficient in using social media or not, participants said that they  
have met people from other countries on social media, and their cultural output and  
experience exchange have changed their stereotypes. Participants had more opportunities  
to learn about the culture of other countries. Someone mentioned that he met friends from  
Africa on social media. He did not pay attention to such news and consulting before, so he  
was surprised after learning about each other's life, but also moved by the pure idea of the  
other. The other participant met a netizen from Southeast Asia. He changed his prejudice  
and stereotype, and social media turned him into a more inclusive person. While browsing  
and participating in the discussion of hot topics, participants believed that they would pay  
attention to and understand topics that they did not know or had no channels to pay  
attention to before. The popularity of the topic and the sharing with people with different  
experiences will make some things worth knowing more widely spread, thus arousing their  
empathy and making them more aware of the importance of empathy and helping others.  


Appendix:  
Questionnaire:  

In order to find the right participants, we designed a questionnaire with relevant questions  
and distributed it to people of all ages, nationalities, genders and preferences, so as to find  
a wider range of results with more different characteristics. In the questionnaire, we  
designed questions to understand the respondents' attitudes towards social media and  
cultural identity, and we will exclude people who are not interested in such topics. Finally,  
by selecting target groups with participation intentions, we gathered people who use social  
media frequently and unskilled people who use social media infrequently.  

Google From link: https://forms.gle/nhH6He9RHPPVUjBz7  

Miro link: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVPOrDZ4g=/?share_link_id=68931517893  

Consent form:  





Zoom Meeting:  




Dovetail link: https://dovetailapp.com/projects/4nf6Ua9jvi0umPZSRQbIhq/readme  


Focus Group activity transcript:  

Hello, everyone. First of all, thank you very much for participating in our activity today. We  
will now conduct the interview and discussion part of stage 3. There are five questions in total.  
The discussion time for each question is about 10 minutes. I hope you can speak  
enthusiastically.  
First of all, can you introduce your own culture?  

First of all, I'm obviously Chinese. Personally, I think China is a country of etiquette,  
In other words, ancient etiquette is the essence of Chinese culture. The ancient etiquette not  
only runs through China for thousands of years but also has a profound impact on the world  
and it is an important part of human civilization. What's more, China has its own characteristics,  
such as Chinese Kung Fu, right, er, including the surrounding influence, In fact, this culture of  
China has also affected the development of other countries to a certain extent. For example,  
Japan, in its early days, was deeply influenced by Chinese culture. In addition, it also includes  
some country like Singapore, which has such Confucian ideas and thoughts and comes from  
Chinese culture.  

I think so too. A large part of my personal cultural awareness is about etiquette. Then there is  
another thing in China, that is, filial piety, with all good deeds as the priority. In China, the  
interests of the family are given priority. Then the child will have to support his parents in the  
future. You should know how difficult it is for parents to raise him. This can be a big difference  
from the culture of other countries.  

Mmm. Then, I think that there is a big difference between the North and South cultures of  
Chinese food. In many places, people's eating habits are completely different.  

Yes, the food culture is also very special. What about the others? What other personal cultures  
have different views?  

I am different from you guys. I am familiar with Canadian culture and customs. For example,  
strangers and neighbors all smile with the sincerest smile, that is, they greet each other  
regardless of whether they recognize them or not, and then they strictly abide by the traffic  
rules. At any time, even when there is no one at night, they will wait for the traffic lights, and  
then they will fasten their seat belts as soon as they get on the bus. Then there will be fewer  
traffic accidents without so many drivers who are in a hurry. Then there is that they don't like  
to cause trouble to others. Another big difference with China is that if they have a little friction,  
they will not choose to solve it privately, they will definitely call the police and then solve it by  
law. Then there is the concept of time. Er, what is it called? I attach great importance to the  
concept of time. Er, I have to make an appointment for everything I do. Then you should  
make an appointment with others and not be late.  

I'm not the same. As for my cultural cognition, first of all, the United States and this country  
believe in individualism, and then they believe that it is individuals, not one, or an organization,  
who control their own lives. Then, they believe that all people should want to have equal  
status, so they will not show some behavior similar to respect or comity in public. Well, then,  
when dealing with others, they tend to be open. I think it is better to resolve conflicts and  
differences through frank discussions between relevant personnel. At the same time, if you  
think someone has a problem with others, you should also tell them clearly and directly, so  
as to better solve the problem.  

For me, basically I’m a classic “otaku”, which means the people who like to stay at home. So  
the social media culture is really importance for me because that’s almost the only way for  
me to get in touch with the outside world. I like Japanese anime culture very much, yeah, but  
because of that my parents always think that I’m just a big kid, well, I know that it will be  
difficult for them to accept this kind of living style. But I have understood many things about  
the Japanese culture, such as the female youtuber is more acceptable in Japan, their social  
classes are very obvious, or they really like to use a bow to present their apologize.  

My cultural cognition is very similar. Equality and respect are paramount. But the more ancient,  
how can I explain it? I will be a little more old-fashioned. I often find it difficult to integrate  
into the fast pace of the new society and the development of science and technology. For  
example, I prefer writing letters to text and email. So, I don't know much about the current  
catchwords, hot topics, etc. I prefer the culture of the old times, including painting, film,  
literature, etc.  

Hi, I think I’m also a person with old fashioned. I only use social media for works so I don’t  
know much about the pop culture, so I sometimes cannot understand what my daughter’s  
conversation is about, which quite confused me. But I still love my own culture, I can feel the  
real emotions when I talk to my friends face to face, not behind a screen. I enjoy the Chinese  
traditional food culture so I usually invite my friends to Chinese restaurant to improve our  
relationships.  


Well, OK. Thank you for your comments and discussion. Let's move on to the next question.  
How does social media affect your personal skills or personality?  

Ah, social media, for me, is very useful. For me，the offline, It may be more introverted. But  
with the existence of such a social platform, it is OK, that is, comparison, We can discuss,  
communicate and socialize without considering.  
So the change of my skills is on the Internet. For example, I may be a more introverted and  
introverted person, and I am not very good at chatting with others face to face, but I can not  
use it on the Internet, and I am not so afraid of social interaction.  

I think so too. I want to start with skills. Well, if social media is used, it will allow me to  
communicate with my friends. I need to type to send something else so that I can practice  
my typing and voice organization skills. And then, there are some search capabilities. For  
example, we chatted together. Let's talk about some real-time hotspots. Surf the Internet.  
Then, we will focus on the latest real-time information. What can also improve me is that I  
can browse and learn all kinds of knowledge on social media. And then, sometimes when we  
use the media, we need to send some personal updates, which will help us exercise our ability  
to take photos and using the Photoshop. Besides, we also need to edit copy, which can create  
my storytelling skills. In terms of personality, we sometimes interact and comment on other  
people's posts, which will make us more open. As mentioned by Xiaowang, many people can  
release their other selves through social media. Therefore, this may have an impact on our  
personality, that is, diversity.  

I actually don’t think that social media can bring much benefits to the youths. Social media  
will cause long time using of electric devices which is unhealthy. My daughter is indulged in  
social media and rarely talk to people in real life. So, I clearly know the disadvantages of social  
media, it will make the youths become introverted. And there are many criminals using social  
media as a part of their plan. The function of communicate with friends and colleagues is  
enough. Do not require more skills.  

As I said before, I have added a lot of peer groups. There are a lot of people who like anime.  
Some of them can draw, and some of them can make their own hand-made models. After a  
long time, I began to be interested in these things. I will communicate with them in the group  
and learn skills later. Slowly, I began to try to do some crafts and draw some simple peer  
pictures, Although I didn't do well, I was very happy every time I made something, and I  
couldn't wait to share it with others in the group. My friends also said that I did well and would  
encourage me kindly. I think I am more and more outgoing and willing to praise others. My  
parents and friends have found my changes, but what they do not know is that these are  
brought to me by anime.  

Cool. Same, as I said earlier, Canadians will be very polite to strangers, including those they  
don't know, and then greet them in the sunshine. So I think that social media for us should  
report some information in a timely manner rather than making friends through the Internet.  
I think it is more likely that, after making friends offline, we will share some happy things with  
friends online, rather than relying too much on the Internet to make friends. Because I should  
be very confident about my culture and myself, I should actively make friends both offline  
and offline. So I feel that the Internet should be more used for sharing information. For  
example, if someone's pet gets lost, or their family members need crowdfunding when they  
are sick, social media can make people in need of help faster and more likely to get help from  
relevant resources.  

I also very much agree with the idea of sharing information. Because personally, I'm more  
old-fashioned. Even though I know that the times are developing rapidly, I still don't know  
how to use social media better. However, it is worth mentioning that my block network was  
paralyzed some time ago. I have been making calls to operators and then trying to use their  
mobile phone software. As you know, it is very complicated for me to use that software. But  
no one answered the phone all the time. I have been listening to the background music of  
the line transfer. The software is also a robot communicating with me. I really can't help it. As  
a result, I tried to search for keywords on Twitter and found many people who have the same  
problems as me. There are even official accounts of operators to help solve problems. It was  
then that I felt for the first time how important social media was in information dissemination.  
So I may not panic when I encounter problems in the future. I will use social media to search  
for and seek help first. By using social media, it also helps me master more life skills and  
learning skills.  

OK, thank you for your discussion. Our next question is, have you get in touch with people  
from other culture through social media? Do they change your attitude towards different  
cultural identity?  

Yes, I have some American friends. From a cultural point of view, their society is that they may  
feel more democratic, and they are freer, and basically more open. Then, in the whole social  
environment, there will be differences. They are also relatively open in ideology and ideas. As  
Chinese people, they may be relatively conservative in ideology and ideas, and their overall  
political environment is also different.  

Do you think they will change your attitude toward different cultural identities?  

Er, will it change? Personally, I think it will, including my own study abroad. I have stayed in  
China for a long time. Often, when I am in China, I cannot feel the atmosphere and  
environment of foreign countries. But after I go abroad, I can also feel that their environment,  
or the surrounding society, is actually good for me now. Then I finished expressing my ideas  
and give them to my American friend.  

Ah, thanks, my Chinese friend Wang. Well, when communicating on social media, I got the  
impression that China is a very polite country, and they are polite and helpful. They have  
helped me a lot. That's the impression. I used to chat with people from other countries  
through Facebook to learn about other people's cultural backgrounds, but this did not change  
my understanding of these things. Because before talking with others, I also did research on  
the website, and what they said was very similar to what I searched, so I kept my previous  
view, and the information in my cognition was consistent with what I received.  

Also, when I played online games, I met some friends from China. Then, we got in touch with,  
uh, the online social media of the game. When playing games with them, I learned that their  
game technology is very good. Then they behave in a civilized manner, speak politely, and  
speak well. I like to play with them. Then, when I was in school here, I also met some Chinese  
friends through social media, and they were also very enthusiastic. They were also very good  
at mathematics and were willing to teach me questions. Yes, that's all.  

Ah, I also want to say something. When I was playing Instagram, I had an African friend. Yes,  
they had a hard time. They had water and electricity, and they worked hard every day. They  
could only get a little salary, and then they ate poorly. Their culture is that living is the most  
important thing. He told me that we need to make money, and then we need to eat to feed  
the whole family. And then, although I don't think I will change my culture and live with them,  
I think, uh, it has nothing to do with me. But I like their culture very much. I think that life is  
pure, simple, and happy. I also learned about the cultures and conditions of many other  
countries.  

I also agree with this point. In my time, there were few channels for us to obtain information  
and information about other countries. More people listen to the radio, watch TV, read  
newspapers, and so on. However, it is obvious that the speed of obtaining information in this  
way is very slow and untimely, and it is difficult for me to understand the information about  
other cultures that I am curious about. But now, because of social media, I may not need to  
travel, and I can learn about the local conditions and customs of other places, as well as  
people's different cultures and habits at the lowest cost. On the other hand, I used to have a  
little prejudice against Southeast Asian countries, in fact, because my impression and  
understanding of them were based on very superficial information. But when I read relevant  
articles, and news, and really communicate with them, I will change my previous ideas. Now I  
even think this social media culture is very good, and I will be more willing to learn to use it.  

Well, we can see that we have learned a lot about diverse cultures through social media. Have  
you ever joined in the popular discussion topic on social media? What kind of influence does  
it have on you?  

Well, in fact, I didn't participate in, or deliberately participated in, such a popular discussion  
topic on social media. However, I can often see others discussing it. In fact, because these  
things are very popular topics for discussion, there are certainly many people involved. And I  
personally think these topics are also good in China, as well as in other countries. They have  
a certain influence. That is, when you browse these topics, many people participate in them,  
and then they will attract everyone's attention. Although you may not participate in the  
discussion, you will also know what happened, or pay attention to this matter. Then, what  
impact does it have on me? In fact, when some topics are related to us, people around me  
will also go to, uh, talk about them in ordinary conversations. Although not necessarily very  
serious, exchange views seriously, perhaps just jokingly, and discuss this issue with each other.  
Yes, so it doesn't really matter. It's just that everyone will discuss it, and then everyone will  
have their own views. Yes, some people will think that this is very correct. Most of the time,  
they will discuss it, but whether it is correct or not, there is no result in the end.  

Have you participated in the discussion of gender opposition on social media?  

I personally think that some people will participate in the topic of gender opposition, because  
in today's society, some people may still be biased against gender, but I have never  
participated in these things. Well, it can only be said that, as for the issue of gender, there are  
some differences between men and women, and then there are differences in ideas.  

If you see other people discussing, or if you participate in this discussion, do you think they  
will change your original idea of this topic? Do you still have an impression?  

Ah, in fact, uh, I think it is possible. Although I had my own subjective ideas at the beginning,  
during their discussion, if they talked about some characteristics or ideas, such as ideas that  
can really resonate with me, or affect my ideas and make me change, I would still accept and  
understand their statements and ideas.  

I feel the same way. Because I used to maintain a very indifferent attitude toward the topic of  
gender opposition, I don't think it has much to do with me. But now I find that if I don't speak  
up and everyone doesn't speak up, the unfair and bad treatment will only continue and will  
not improve. So, I will share my views and what happened to me with them. I also hope to  
change your views and attract attention. In fact, many people's misconceptions may only  
because they have received wrong information before, or they do not understand the  
experiences of others. Through discussion with them, many of my previous vulgar views have  
also changed.  

Indeed, I think the topic of male female confrontation seems to be very popular recently, and  
the quarrels are getting more and more serious. Even in the communication groups I usually  
watch, some people think that there are too many male gaze situations in the anime now,  
and the portrayal of female characters is quite rigid, such as female soldiers wearing relatively  
bare clothes, why do men wear so much. At the beginning, I didn't want to participate at all,  
because I thought that some things in reality should not be brought into anime, but later  
there were some disputes involving anime that I liked very much, so I also occasionally  
participated in the discussion, even sometimes I was angry with some people's comments,  
which led to my final speech was also very irrational, because I didn't want some people to  
see my favorite works with prejudice, of course, I know that for them, I am also a biased  
person. What I can do is not to be affected by others' opinions, but the reality is that I will be  
affected, thus generating some unprovoked emotions.  

For me, never. I just read or watch the news to know the popular topics. I think the news on  
TV and the social media are basically the same, expect for the comment part. Negative  
attitude will spread up quickly through the social media discussion. Usually, bad practice will  
spread out quicker than the positive, I think people should take this problem seriously and  
think a way to solve this situation.  

Ah, I participated in a discussion about whether money is the root of all evil. Before I  
participated in the discussion, I thought that money was not the root of all evil. Because there  
are many, such as the Seven Deadly Sins, and people have many other desires. It's not just  
about money. However, after listening to their speeches, I found that they successfully  
brought me into their logical thinking, and then I felt that, hey, what they said seemed to have  
some truth. Then I was led by them to change my mind. Also, for example, they mentioned  
that, uh, it is a classic case of domestic violence in Chinese culture. For example, men go to  
work, and women do housework and cook. Many times, men may hit women after work. He  
will think that if I work hard to earn money, you just have to lie at home and do some of these  
jobs, but I am tired. The main reason is that they go out to make money. This is a good  
example. I may not pay much attention to the news in this field before, nor have I thought  
about it, but I will also reflect on myself by thinking about it.  

One topic that impressed me most was about the advantages and disadvantages of studying  
abroad. When I first participated in the discussion, I thought too simply about studying abroad.  
I think as long as you study hard, there will be no problems. However, after participating in  
the discussion and seeing other people's comments and experience sharing, I found that  
when studying abroad, in addition to studying, I will also encounter many problems in life,  
such as renting a house, or getting a bank card. After knowing that, I will be more cautious  
and will not do anything without preparation as before.  

Ah, I recently participated in a discussion about, uh, the recently popular LOL and the recently  
playing World Cup. Then, because there are representatives from different countries, different  
countries will certainly support their own representatives. Although I am Canadian, I like  
Chinese LPL players very much. The reason why I came up with this idea is that when I  
discussed it with them, I found that LPL players are very energetic, dare to fight, and operate  
very well. Especially the ad player, this is my impression. I suddenly like him very much.  

This is true. I think this view is very good. I think it's very good that he，as a foreigner，he  
likes a Chinese person and a Chinese team through such social media and such discussion  
topics.  

I was also very, very moved. Social media also creates such opportunities. Without such a  
platform, it is difficult to do so.  

Like me, I have never participated in this hot topic because I feel that the current network  
environment is not special and friendly. I think freedom of speech in the United States is very  
good, and the language environment is better for people to understand the real situation.  
Unlike China, for example, it blocks certain statements and makes people unable to  
understand the real situation.  

I think it's very interesting that he mentioned it just now. You think it's China's more closed  
approach and the United States more liberal approach. Which one do you think is better? Do  
you want to speak freely, or should you lose some of your remarks?  

I feel that there should be a gap between the two. I can't control it too absolutely, but I can't  
be too open.  

Yes, it must be controlled by the government, but it cannot be said that it is completely in the  
hands of the government, which prohibits the freedom of the language. I can only see what  
some countries want me to see on China's social media before, and many people will be  
deleted after speaking, which I think is very bad.  

Ah, I think that even as I said earlier, Canada is a country that is very dependent on the  
government and the law, so I think we should have a high degree of language freedom, but  
not as much freedom as the United States. Because our government and laws also restrict  
our language freedom, I think it is better. Because there is no freedom of speech in some  
countries, but there is no freedom of speech in the United States. It can be said that the  
government has intervened well. Although I'm not sure, it should be good.  

Well, I think it's better to speak freely if I think so. Because I think all views are, uh, reasonable,  
as long as they are not blatant. It is possible that some people will make some, uh, right, anti- 
government statements, but there is a reason for that. He is not born to think that these are  
bad. He may draw such conclusions from his own stories or from what he sees. Therefore, I  
think that everyone should be respected for such speeches, as long as they do not say dirty  
words or attack others, which is meaningless. Yes, so I think it's OK to speak freely sometimes  
so that we can fully understand what other people think.  

Let's discuss the last question. Does social media change your way of socializing or social  
circle? Why?  
Well, I personally think it will change my social style to some extent. As I said before, in my  
own words, in normal offline social networking, I'm not as comfortable as I am in social media.  
This kind of online social networking may be helpful to me. People like us may be difficult to  
make friends offline. Another is to change the circle of friends and social circles. There are  
some people I may not know or recognize offline. But social media can provide me with an  
opportunity to meet more friends.  

Ah, as for social media, it has indeed changed some of our communication methods. For  
example, in the past, when we used that work email, we may now use a few network words,  
and we may say more, "Oh, that sounds great. Let's talk again.". The concise language used  
in social communication will be reflected when we use social media to communicate in our  
work. Contact with different cultures and social networks means that we also need to accept  
words and phrases from other languages and cultures. Or when we buy coffee, we mix other  
American phrases in English every day. I seldom heard the British say that 20 years ago, but  
now it has been widely accepted. What about other languages? Such as German, French,  
Russian, and Cantonese. Has it been affected by the extent of social media? So, I think social  
media will not only change our lifestyle, social style, and work style but also many languages  
and communication methods.  

My personal social circle is certainly unchanged, social media only helps me to connect more  
closely with my former friends, and will not make me change my social circle, but there will  
be many new cultures in it. I think people should pay more attention to offline life, such as  
accompanying their families.  

Ah yes, I don't often use this social media. We pay more attention to offline companionship.  
We often communicate more offline, so I don't think this social media will affect my social  
way.  
So for others, you guys tend to communicate online, right?  

Ah, no, no, no, I also like offline communication. I think both online and offline are important.  

Well, I think social media has changed my social circle for me. Because social media is first  
used as communication software, based on the rise of mobile devices, the situation that  
everyone has a mobile phone determines the universality and spread of social media.  
Especially today, when information filtering and information cocoon rooms are everywhere,  
social media has further facilitated people with the same interests to form a circle driven by  
their interests, and people among them are more inclined to exchange the filtered  
information, to achieve another form of information cocoon room. To answer this question  
from my personal point of view, my social media circle is more limited to people I know in  
real life, that is, I have a certain relationship with them to some extent. Even strangers who  
have never met online have been screened and selected to enter my social circles, such as  
bloggers I am interested in and netizens who have played games with me. The similarity of  
interest is also a part of screening in this case so that I can only receive the information I want  
or am interested in.  

OK, so that's the end of our interview and discussion. Thank you for your participation. And  
feel free to continue the discussion if you want.