I enjoyed working on this report, especially the focus group bit, the people were awesome!

1. The Role of Social Media in
Keeping International
Students at Birmingham
City University Connected
Student Name: CHIOMA NWAMAKA AGWUEGBO
Student ID: AGW10509175
Course Title: SOCIAL MEDIA AS CULTURE
Tutor: DAVE HARTE
Submission Date: 21st January, 2011.
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2. CONTENT PAGE
Introduction……………………….…………Page 2
Literature Review…………............................Page 4
Methodology…………......…………………. Page 6
Analysis………………………………..……. Page 8
Findings.......................……………………... Page 11
Recommendation............................................Page 14
Conclusion.......................................................Page 15
References……………………………………Page 16
Appendices.......................................................Page 14
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3. INTRODUCTION
People have different reasons for leaving their home countries to study elsewhere, either as
undergraduates or to further an already obtained degree. These reasons could range from:
 The knowledge that universities in the United Kingdom are amongst the highest rated
schools in the world with over 55, 000 taught and research courses and a high
standard of qualification on completion.
 The need to expand their employment opportunities. Employers, especially
multinationals, look for internationalization in prospective employees; people who
have a global perspective of issues.
 to learn specific career related skills that are unavailable in their home country, learn a
second international language or do an international internship
 Meet people from different backgrounds, and not only from the host country; forge
international friendships, understand diverse cultures and disabuse their minds of
stereotypes.
 It has even been said that it is less stressful and more cost effective to experience
Europe for longer as a student!
Even though this education doesn’t come cheap, with tuition for arts and social science
courses ranging between 7250 to 9000 pounds and as much as 29000pounds for an MBA,
every year applications pour in in their thousands. Prospects, the UK's official graduate
careers site reports that for the 2008/2009 session, there were 139, 095 students from outside
Europe studying for postgraduate degrees alone in the UK.
These young people scale the hurdles of admission, financing, immigration and visas then
come into the United Kingdom and register at their university, in this case Birmingham City
University. The euphoria of the new environment soon wears off, along with the endless
comparisons of their home countries to it. Then they start to deal with culture shock, struggle
to understand new accents, learn to be garbed appropriately for the weather (which depending
on where they are coming from could be extreme), adapt to new academic and teaching
methods, etc.
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4. How do they deal with these issues? How do they fit in? They can either withdraw into their
shells, concentrate on their studies as best as they can and try to make it through the school
year without succumbing to depression. Or, they can reach out to other students experiencing
the same challenges, make friends, take advantage of the support systems instituted by their
schools, and make the most of the year!
This report seeks to explore the role of social media and networks in keeping international
students at Birmingham City University connected; to themselves, their families, and
professional colleagues, and the advantages or disadvantages of the various networks.
‘The need to belong’ is a concept that marketers, psychologists and counsellors have
identified as the reason why people take certain actions. From the days of Abraham Maslow,
right after food, shelter, security, and safety comes the need to belong. How have the
networks these students subscribe to helped them settle in, develop a sense of belonging in a
foreign land?
It will explore their use of social networks and media before their arrival in Birmingham and
attempt to measure the changes in usage (if any) since their enrolment at Birmingham City
University.
This report will also attempt to find the relationship (if any exists) between social networks
and new opportunities for personal and professional development, strengthening of existing
links, fostering new friendships, and adaptation to a new society.
4

5. LITERATURE REVIEW
To fully grasp the thoughts behind this research, we will break the topic down and treat each
term independently. I trust that when we put them back together at the end of this review, not
only would it provide a deeper understanding of the subject, but it will justify my reason for
undertaking the study.
The literature review was primarily conducted using books and journals sourced from the
Birmingham City University library and from the internet. In addition to scholarly work, a
number of blog posts were cited in the work, especially as they referred to social media,
social capital, and networks.
The term ‘Social Media’ immediately evokes thoughts of networks and networking sites in
the mind of the listener; we think of Facebook, twitter, hi5 and all the networks we belong to.
That is a very limiting view of this rapidly expanding phenomenon which has changed the
way we do business, advertising, marketing, our relationships both online and offline, and
even the way family members communicate.
Social media refers to online media that encourages conversation, contribution and
participation, unlike traditional media which is essentially a one track conversation because
even though it might create avenues for feedback, it doesn’t allow the readers, viewers or
listeners to contribute to the production of the content.
Anthony Bradley (2010), group vice president at Gartner Research, defines social media as “a
set of technologies and channels targeted at forming and enabling a potentially massive
community of participants to productively collaborate”. Simply put, Bradley is saying that
social media refers to a new set of internet tools that allow anyone with basic computer skills
to become a part of a shared community experience.
A community here refers to a group of people with similar interests, passions, or professions
who want to work, play, learn, collaborate or just foster new relationships all to create value.
This community could either be online or offline. These communities in my opinion can be
interchanged with the word 'networks' seeing that both are founded on the same principles –
people coming together to share, collaborate, learn, or take collective action.
A lot of research is currently going on about social networks or computer mediated
communication (CMC) to describe the networks of relations in as detailed a manner as
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6. possible, extract as much information as can be gleaned about the patterns that stand out the
most in those networks, trace the flow of information through them, and then explore the
effects (both positive and negative) that the relations and networks have on the people that
belong to them.
Social network analysts ask about “the exchanges that create and sustain work and social
relationships and the resources could either be tangible (goods and services) or intangible
(influence or social support)”, Wellman 1992. They do this using units of analysis that
include relations, ties, multiplexity, and composition. Barry Wellman, a professor of
sociology, founded the International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA) in 1976
and has spearheaded research in this field. In his network analysis presentation called
'Networks for Newbies' he posits that the world is composed of networks which can either be
tightly bound (or direct) as in family or not densely knit (indirect) as in friends, colleagues,
etc.
What are the benefits of belonging to a network? What roles do these networks play in the
way we do business, communicate with our friends and family and do things together? Social
capital encapsulates the answer to these questions, and more.
Social capital has been linked to diverse positive outcomes including “better public health,
lower crime rates and more efficient financial markets”. (Adler and Kwon, 2002). It has been
said that people who are well connected lead healthier lives because they have support
systems they can always draw from.
Portes (1998) identified four negative consequences of social capital to be exclusion of
outsiders (students who do not belong to the BCU Fresher’s page will not receive
notifications of offers or promotions from them.); excess claims on group members (making
them do stuff they normally would not do just because they belong to a network); restrictions
on individual freedom (making them feel like because you belong to this group you can or
cannot do stuff) ; and downward levelling norms (where a community that has experienced
adversity consciously or unconsciously restricts its members from seeking to better their lot).
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7. METHODOLOGY
As this report deals with the views, experiences and thoughts of people, in this case the
international students at Birmingham City University, the research method to be employed
will be the Focus Group method.
Powell et al (1996:449) define a focus group as “a group of individuals selected and
assembled by researchers to discuss and comment on, from personal experience, the topic
that is the subject of the research”.
Kitzinger J (1995) says focus groups are “a form of group interview that capitalizes on
communication between research participants in order to generate data”.
It is worthy of note at this point that while focus groups are a form of group interviews, they
are different. The major difference is in structure because while focus groups rely on
interaction based on the topic given by the researcher between members of the group, group
interviews are based on the questions and answers between the researcher and the respondent.
I decided to use the focus group method because I want to draw from the feelings, thoughts,
experiences, and reactions of the students in ways that an observation, interview,
questionnaire or survey will not be able to achieve.
Kitzinger (1995) argues that interaction is a crucial benefit of focus groups because between
members it highlights their view of the topic, and the language they might use to express
themselves will make for interesting data.
I believe that as the students discuss with each other, the dynamics of the group can generate
new thinking that might point the research in a new and maybe unexpected direction. I also
believe that as they talk within themselves, ask each other questions, not only will they get
clarification on issues; they might re-evaluate or reconsider their understanding of past
experiences.
Another possible benefit of group discussions propounded by Race et al (1994) is that the
discussions can become a forum for change, both during and after. An example of this would
be the research conducted by Goss and Leinbach (1996) where the participants were said to
have experienced “a sense of emancipation through speaking in public and by developing
reciprocal relationships with the researchers.
7

8. Also, at Warwick University, focus groups were used by the Centre for Academic Practise to
gather researchers' views and suggestions for the format and implementation of a framework
for skills training. Seven focus groups ran with forty participants, producing invaluable data
which will help the centre design a framework where skills training will be provided and
delivered appropriately.
Still on focus group discussions as a forum for change, following a focus group research
conducted by Smith et al (1995) with patients of a hospital as participants, steps were taken
by management to improve the quality of services rendered based on ideas and
recommendations by the group.
That said, focus groups are not a one-sided miracle; matter of fact some of its advantages
constitute the sore spots for critics of its use as a research method. For example, the so called
'interaction' can lead to disagreements and irrelevant discussions which distract from the main
issue and the moderator faces the challenge of controlling the group as well as trying not to
appear overbearing or domineering.
Again, as far as group dynamics go, there is no way to tell that the participants will connect
with each other enough to have a fruitful discussion. Also, some participants might feel
pressured to agree with the loudest voice or keep silent altogether, thereby detracting from
the credibility of the work.
Humans are largely unpredictable, dynamic beings and so the researcher cannot make any
projections as to the results of the focus group, or if they will even be useful to his research at
all. Morgan (1998) says that “the researcher has less control over the data produced than in
quantitative studies or one-to-one interviewing”. To be able to predict/project, the researcher
might have to hold more group discussions on the same topic and over time will see
consistency or a pattern develop which will not produce anything new but will help confirm
his findings from earlier sessions.
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9. ANALYSIS
The focus group comprised seven people; one Irish, one Egyptian, a Kenyan, one German, a
Hong Konger, and two Nigerians because I felt that the more diverse/different the cultures
and background of the participants, the richer and more profound the discussion would be.
The participants include both post graduate and undergraduate students cutting across a
number of faculties in Birmingham City University, their ages range from 21 to 30.
The discussion started with the participants talking about the social networks they subscribe
to and why. Facebook cut across all of them, confirming rankings by various analysts and
sites about Facebook being the most popular and most subscribed to network on earth.
However they still utilise other networking sites like Twitter, Skype, FourSquare, Flickr to
communicate with their friends and family.
While all of them reported an increase in their use of Facebook for different reasons ranging
from it being the most central site, it being economical for having multiple conversations, to
the opportunities for fostering new relationships, they all started using other networks more.
Laura for example reactivated her Twitter account, Jinny now uses Skype more because it's a
cheaper way of reaching her family back home and likes the idea of video calls, Noha uses
Twitter more (she runs two accounts there), Mariam joined Naija Pals which is the Nigerian
equivalent of Facebook because for her it 'keeps Nigeria alive', Leonie and Karen have
increased their use of Skype, while Malachi who hasn’t subscribed to any other network has
discovered and now uses Facebook as a tool of collaboration with his classmates.
On how social networks they belong to have helped sustain the friendships they had before
enrolling at Birmingham City University, there was a bit of disagreement because while
Laura, Noha and Leonie said that they cannot be physically present with some of their friends
those relationships have withered, confirming Robert Putnam's (1993) thoughts that social
capital is just as offline as it is online. Jinny said she's only lost touch with her friends who
are not on Facebook. While for Mariam using social networks since moving here only helped
retain the friends she already had, she's made new connections, Williams (2006) has said
severally that ''although researchers have examined potential loses of social capital in offline
communication due to increased internet use, they have not adequately explored online gains
that might compensate for this''.
9

10. The group agreed that social networks has exposed them to new opportunities with Mariam
and Leonie now using Skype and Facebook respectively as tools for collaboration with their
classmates, Malachi using his Facebook profile as a business tool, and Laura getting a job
with a tourism company because of a group she belongs to on Facebook. Barry Wellman
alluded to that when he said social networks links individuals to individuals, individuals
within organisations, and individuals between organisations and institutions.
Professional growth via membership of social networks didn't receive as overwhelming a nod
as new opportunities did. Leonie's sourcing of participants for her focus group discussion via
Facebook and her hope for future collaborations is in line with Boix and Posner's hypotheses
to explain the emergence of cooperation or social capital. They (1998; 687) said, “stable
cooperation can emerge spontaneously among otherwise uncooperative actors when they
value future pay-offs and expect to interact again and again an indefinite number of times. As
long as the pattern of interaction has no foreseeable end, actors will have no incentive to
defect from cooperation and a virtuous circle of social capital building will be initiated”
On social media and the way it helps them communicate with their families, everyone except
Laura and Jinny saw social networks as appropriate and enhancing communication. Malachi
particularly said social media would be distancing and not communicate his
emotions/feelings and for Jinny, video calling on Skype and seeing her mother is good for
her.
The students had lots of stories though on how being part of different social networks have
helped them settle in at Birmingham City University. Karen met her flatmates on Facebook
even before coming into Birmingham, Leonie was only able to find out about her course of
study by talking to someone who blogged about his experiences on the same course, and
Miriam got answers to her questions by posting them on the BCU Fresher’s page on
Facebook. Laura’s tutor found her on Facebook and they were communicating even before
Laura resumed!
Finally, the students plotted the relationship between themselves and the networks they
belong to, and their families, new and existing friends, professionals, and their religion.
The focus group lasted for an hour and a half; the transcript of the discussion and the
drawings by the students can be found in the appendices.
10

11. FINDINGS
There is a strong relationship between the student’s use of social network and the creation of
support groups (social capital if you like) that they can draw resources from.
The research showed bridging social capital, where members of a group access the resources
of another group through overlapping membership. An example would be Laura as a member
of a group for international students on Facebook being commissioned to do some work by
members of a tourism company who also belong to the international group on Facebook.
Barry Wellman (1992) says that “networks scale up to networks of networks” which to my
mind plays true because even though A is friends with B on Facebook, they are also friends
on Twitter, or MySpace, LinkedIn or some other network. By belonging to one network you
inadvertently set the stage to subscribe to others which most of the time offer the same
service – communication – just in different ways. Networks are not mutually exclusive;
people go to networks their friends are on, even if they do the same thing.
Social networks can be alienating, and work to the detriment of offline relationships. The
students agreed with this, Noha saying some of her friendships have withered because they
are not physically around each other anymore.
At the same time, social networks help people maintain contact when they move from one
place to the other which is why the students use it to talk to their friends at home, regardless
of the distance.
Please find in the tables below, the interpretation of the drawings depicting the strength of
relationship the international students have with different groups of people
MALACHI Facebook Twitter Skype LinkedIn
Family Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use
Existing Friends Strongest Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use
Professional
Colleagues
Strongest Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use
New Friends Strong Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use
Religion weak Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use
LEONIE Facebook Twitter Skype LinkedIn
Family Weak Don’t use Strongest Don’t use
Existing Friends Strongest Strongest Weak Strong
11

12. Professional
Colleagues
Strong Strongest Weak Strongest
New Friends Strongest Strongest Don’t use Strong
Religion Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use
JINNY Facebook Twitter Skype Email
Family Don’t use Don’t use Strong Weak
Existing Friends Strongest Don’t use Strongest Weak
Professional
Colleagues
Strong Don’t use Don’t use Strong
New Friends Strongest Don’t use Strong Don’t use
Religion Strongest Don’t use Strong Don’t use
LAURA Facebook Twitter Skype Flickr Yahoo messenger
Family Strongest Don’t use Strongest Don’t use
Existing Friends Strongest Strongest Strong Don’t use Weak
Professional Weak
Colleagues
Strongest Strong Don’t use Weak
New Friends Don’t use Strong Don’t use Don’t use Weak
Religion Strongest Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use
NOHA Facebook Twitter Skype Flickr Delicious
Family Strongest Strong Weak Weak
Existing Friends Strong strongest Strong Strong Don’t use
Professional
Colleagues
Strongest Strong Strong Don’t use Don’t use
New Friends Strong strongest Weak Weak Don’t use
Religion Don’t use Strong Skype Don’t use Weak
MIRIAM Facebook Twitter Skype Yahoo messenger MSN
Family Strong Don’t use Don’t use Weak Don’t use
Existing Friends Strongest Don’t use Weak Weak Don’t use
Professional
Colleagues
Strongest Don’t use Strong Weak Don’t use
New Friends Strongest Don’t use Weak Weak Don’t use
12

13. Religion Strongest Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use
KAREN Facebook Twitter Skype Four Square Gmail Chat LinkedIn
Family Strongest Don’t use Strongest Don’t use Strongest Strong
Existing Friends Strongest Strong Strongest Strong
Professional Strongest
Colleagues
Strongest Strong Don’t use Strong Don’t use
New Friends Strongest Strong Weak Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use
Religion Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use Don’t use
13

14. RECOMMENDATIONS
I would recommend that this study be replicated not only to see if the answers will be
consistent and therefore show a pattern but also to address the issues raised by the students.
An example would be Laura and Jinny saying they didn’t find adequate information about
their courses on the school website.
I would also recommend that the same research be carried out but narrowed down using only
one network. I would work with Facebook because all the participants use it, and the findings
would be less generalised than this one.
A limitation to this study which is the fact that the discussion was done by students in only
one campus of the university can be handled by including the other campuses, and even
broadening the scope to include other universities because each university community is
different.
I think it would be helpful for the Students Union at Birmingham City University to create
more groups on Facebook to cater to more groups of people so they don’t feel excluded. It
would also be worth their while if tutors encouraged their students to work together.
Finally, I would recommend a balanced gender ratio in subsequent researches, and a deeper
exploration into the way social media and religion are a part of the lives of the students.
14

15. CONCLUSION
This research set out to find the social networks international students at Birmingham City
University subscribe to, and for what reasons. I ended up doing that, but also did a
preliminary review of literature around network analysis. This helped me better understand
the profits or losses in relationships the students belonging to these networks have seen.
I have tried in this report to link social media and networks to the concept of social capital,
touching on the relationship online and offline communication has had on it and looking at
whether online network tools have enabled the students to keep in touch with members of a
social network after physically disconnecting from it.
Still on social capital, while it is a known fact that the internet facilitates new connections,
this report also looked at the new opportunities the students have been exposed to just by
belonging to social networks, and consequently how their social capital has increased.
This report also analysed social media, networks and continued communication with family
members. the wanted to explore how social media and the networks contribute or diminish
from the sustenance of the relationships the international students had before they started
studying in Birmingham, and mirror that against the new relationships they might have
cultivated since their arrival here.
More importantly, this research sought to establish a link between membership of certain
networks and professional development of the students, and it did.
15

16. REFERENCES
BOOKS
Edmunds Holly (1999): ‘The Focus Group Research Handbook’ (2 – 8) NTC/ Contemporary
Publishing Group Inc. Available Online at http://books.google.co.uk/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=vGa5szorHEAC&oi=fnd&pg=PP11&dq=definitions+of+focus+group+resear
ch&ots=n9qv8F4bQt&sig=TDmQl30e0ZoqvHld0svHDLJut1k#v=onepage&q&f=false
Goss J.D., Leinbach T.R. (1996): ‘Focus groups as alternative research practice’, Area 28
(2): 115-23.
Kitzinger J. (1994): ‘The methodology of focus groups: the importance of interaction
between research participants’, Sociology of Health 16 (1): 103-21.
Kitzinger J. (1995): ‘Introducing focus groups’, British Medical Journal 311: 299-302.
Morgan D.L. (1988): Focus groups as qualitative research. London: Sage.
Powell R.A., Single H.M., Lloyd K.R. (1996): ‘Focus groups in mental health research:
enhancing the validity of user and provider questionnaires’, International Journal of Social
Psychology 42 (3): 193-206
Race K.E., Hotch D.F., Parker T. (1994): ‘Rehabilitation program evaluation: use of focus
groups to empower clients’, Evaluation Review 18 (6): 730-40.
Smith J.A., Scammon D.L., Beck S.L. (1995): ‘Using patient focus groups for new patient
services’, Joint Commission Journal on Quality Improvement 21 (1): 22-31
JOURNALS
BMJ 1995; 311: 299 (Published 29 July 1995) -
http://www.bmj.com/content/311/7000/299.full
Boix C. and Posner, D.N (1998): 'Social Capital: explaining its origins and effects on
government performance', British Journal of Political Science, Vol 28, no 4: 686-93
16

17. Giddens (2000): 'Third Way and its Critics' (78) in Johnston G. and Percy-Smith J (2003): In
search of social capital. Volume 31, The Policy Press
Portes A. (1998) : Social Capital: Its Origins and Applications in Modern Sociology. Annual
Review of Sociology, Vol. 24., pp. 1-24
Wellman, B. (1992): Which types of ties and networks give what kinds of social support?
Advances in Group Processes, 9, 207-235.
Williams, D. (2006): On and off the 'net: Scales for social capital in an online era. Journal
of Computer Mediated Communication, 11 (2), article 11. Retrieved August 29, 2006 from
http://jcmc.indiana.edu /vol11/issue2/williams.html
URLS
http://blogs.gartner.com/anthony_bradley/2010/01/07/a-new-definition-of-social-media/
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/coming_to_uk_how_much_does_it_cost.htm
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/coming_to_uk_why_study_in_uk.htm
http://sru.soc.surrey.ac.uk/SRU19.html
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/ldc/resource/evaluation/tools/focus/examples/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8506148.stm
17

18. APPENDICES
1. Transcript of focus group discussion held on Saturday the 15th of January 2011.
Respondents: Laura (Kenya), Noha (Egypt), Jinny (Hong Kong), Malachi (Nigeria), Karen
(Ireland), Miriam (Nigeria), and Leonie (Germany).
Topic– The Effects of Social Media and Networks on Your Life as an International Student at
Birmingham City University
1. Which social network do you subscribe to the most and why?
Laura – Facebook, that’s because all my family uses it and most of my friends both back
home and here use it too.
Noha – I use Facebook, Twitter (I have two accounts on twitter actually), Skype, Flickr,
and I have a blog
Karen – I use Skype a lot, Facebook, Twitter, and Four Square
Jinny – I use Facebook and Mebo, and Skype.
Malachi – Facebook, who isn't on Facebook now?
Leonie – I use Facebook, Twitter, and Skype
Miriam – I use Facebook, I don't use twitter but I use yahoo messenger a lot. I also use
Skype, and Naija Pals, which is like Nigerian Facebook.
2. Has your use of any network changed (increased/decreased) since you came to
Birmingham City University?
Jinny – I don't use Mebo here anymore a lot because it is more useful to me in Hong
Kong and not a lot of people use it here. It made calls cheap but here I now use Skype to
make calls and I use my Facebook because my friends are a lot on Facebook.
Miriam - I use Facebook a lot more than I did back in Nigeria because there is internet
access everywhere I go and so my friends and I can keep in touch. I also joined Naija Pals
only after I got here because a lot of my friends in Nigeria use that network.
18

19. Leonie – before I came I used to use which is the German equivalent of Facebook but
now I am using Facebook more, and I am tweeting more than I was before. I also use
Skype to call my parents and my boyfriend.
Malachi – I was more of a phone and texts person before I came here but apart from
calling my family, I use Facebook to keep in touch with my friends, and to even work
with my classmates.
Noha – I have always liked Twitter but I have found that I am using it more than I used
to, and I am using my Flickr account more. My Facebook is still the same, I have made
more friends but I don’t think the way I use it has changed
Karen – I use my Skype a lot more to call my family and my friends, I also use Facebook
to stay in touch with my friends and my classmates. My usage of the other networks I
belong to is basically the same, I think.
Laura – I joined Twitter when it first started but then I stopped using my account because
I didn’t see the sense in just talking and trying to cram a conversation into 140 characters.
Since I got here though I have found that most of my friends are tweeting and so I am
back on Twitter, I use it more often. Of course my use of Facebook is very high.
3. Do the networks you belong to help you sustain existing relationships you had
before you got here, or did it make you lose them?
Laura – in a way I think it does because you can chat with your friends on any network,
keep in touch, see what they've been doing, things like that. Then again there are some of
my friends on Facebook for example who I haven’t spoken to in three months. I sat down
one day and started deleting them from my Facebook because I don’t think they are my
friends if we haven’t spoken for that long
Jinny – I did not delete my friends; I lost some friends because when I moved here some
of my friends do not have Facebook and I cannot keep in touch with them with Mebo
because of the cost so we do not talk anymore. I have only been here for two weeks so I
don’t know if it will keep the friends I still have
19

20. Malachi – I think it helps because even if you don't talk to all your friends every time,
they are still your friends and with something like Facebook the day you want to you can
just start a conversation with them.
Leonie – I agree with Laura, even though I did not delete my friends. Some of them you
find that you talk more and with others your communication is not just what it was
before.
Miriam – if anything it has increased the number of friends I have because since I got
here I have joined new networks example Naija Pals and I found people there who do not
use Facebook.
Karen – I think that for me a lot hasn't really changed, I have made new friends but that’s
only natural with moving to a new place.
Noha – for me the relationships are as much offline as they are online. Naturally there are
some people who don't communicate with me as much because there is some distance
between us. Then again there are people I’ve met and interacted with because I am here
and have become a part of certain networks.
4. Has your use of social media and networks exposed you to new opportunities
in Birmingham?
Malachi – I use my Facebook account for business these days because my profile
mentions some of the things I do so sometimes people send me messages asking if I can
provide services for them based on my profile and that's really nice.
Laura – well, mine is more business-like, which now that I think of it is very exciting.
From a Facebook group I belong to an organization promoting tourism in Kenya
contacted me and after a series of discussions I now take pictures of my experiences here
for them and write articles which are published on their site.
Noha – I can say yes it has because you make friends with people even before you meet
them and then you have discussions and decide to collaborate on projects together. So,
yes.
Karen – Erm, none comes to mind now, except that you get invited to a lot of events here!
20

21. Jinny – I don't know, I don't have an answer to that
Leonie – we have groups on Facebook where my classmates and I drop information that
could be useful to either of us, sometimes on books to read, events to attend, things like
that. I think that those are ways and opportunities for us to make ourselves better but I
don’t have any special example of myself.
Miriam – I have found new ways of getting things done! Even though you guys have
already mentioned stuff similar to it, in my class we Skype whenever we have group
assignments. It's more convenient, allows us to set up even impromptu meetings when we
need to make drastic changes to our work, etc.
5. On how Social Media and networks have helped professional growth?
Leonie – with my focus group discussion for my class assignment I contacted the participants
on Facebook because it was the easiest way to get to everybody. They wrote me back and
now I have them as friends and contacts on Facebook and LinkedIn. It’s also helped me
expand the network of professionals I know. I am interested in Social Media and marketing
so I am sure there will be ways for us to work together in future and I can go to them if I need
a favour
Miriam – we have a group on Facebook for students doing MBAs and from time to time
people paste links to organizations we can belong to, workshops or seminars we can attend
and all the ones I’ve attended were really useful for me.
Noha – my answer isn't much different from Miriam's, even though I get that too from
Twitter. Facebook is just more because more people subscribe to it
Malachi – professionally as regards what I am studying here, I have no instances or anything.
When it concerns the businesses I have though, all it takes is for someone to commend
something I have done for them on my wall and others start to ask what it is about and that’s
how the word spreads.
Jinny – for now I only use Facebook and Skype, no professional networks. Maybe when I
stay here a little more I will decide which one to use.
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22. Laura – Jinny there are groups that would benefit your career anywhere, Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn, etc. I have found that on any network you belong to there will be people who share
the same interests as you and once you find them, you can interact and make yourselves
better! For me, I said earlier the group on Facebook opened me up to the organization I now
write for, and I’m looking forward to more like that!
Karen – (didn’t say anything)
6. The use of social networks with your family; does it help your
communication? Do you think it is good tool? Background: An author
recently said that parents are beginning to use Facebook to talk to their
children and find out what they are up to, and that it is an efficient way for
them to communicate.
Malachi – speaking to my family on Facebook is a no-no for me because it feels estranged; it
is not real. We did some research on Facebook in my class and it showed that the percentage
using Facebook, social networks and computers is considerably less among people older than
50 years of age. When I talk to my family n phone it helps us convey our emotions and
whatever it is we are feeling per time.
Karen – my parents are not on Facebook because they don’t have the skills for it so no, we
don’t communicate that way. My brothers and I talk about a lot but that’s maybe when they
are commenting on my pictures or my status. We use Skype and instant chats a lot though
because it makes our calls cheaper. There is however no substitute for talking on the phone or
on stage.
Leonie – is it Socialnomics you’re referring to? Eric Qualman said in the book that parents
reach out to their children, I don’t agree with it because relationships with family are
supposed to be offline, not online. Families are supposed to eat, talk and be together and I
don’t think Facebook is a good tool for that. Now that I am away from home at university and
my parents are back home in Germany we send emails and Skype but it doesn’t replace
offline communication.
Laura – my answer is very different because my mum, dad, and brother are all on Facebook.
Since we were teenagers we’ve never all lived in the same city; my mother and father work in
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23. different cities and my brother are in different universities in different countries so Facebook
is the fastest way for all of us to stay in touch while minimizing costs. Also the internet in
Africa is not the same as here where there’s internet everywhere so if we want to Skype you
have to be at home where there’s wireless and sometimes you might not even have that.
Again through Facebook my family can be a part of my Birmingham experience because they
don’t have the time to go on Flickr so when I upload pictures I have taken here on Facebook
they can see and have an idea of what I have been up to.
Miriam – my parents are not on Facebook but my siblings are so we talk and sometimes I
Skype my sister or we chat on yahoo messenger. I still call them on phone though, or send
them texts. I have never thought of communicating with them only through, what did you call
it? Social Media, I don't think it would be right.
Noha – I don't think it is adequate for parents to talk to or find out about their children on
Facebook or any other social network. I think they are tools that should enhance relationships
like Leonie said, and not replace them.
Jinny – it is funny to think of not talking to my parents except through Facebook! Maybe
because they are not on Facebook, or maybe because they will get tired of typing to me every
time. I like Skype because it is cheap and when I use video call, I can see my mother and our
house. That is good for me.
7. Do your networks decrease the distance between you and your friends,
colleagues and family back at home or does it make it worse?
Miriam – not really, doesn't! When I miss them I miss them, I don't think Facebook or yahoo
messenger or emails are to blame because the truth is I am away from home. I just can't reach
them every time.
Leonie – there’s the thing with the time here not being the same with the time back in
Germany and that affects how I communicate with my family. I can see where my friends
have been, if they went to clubs or anything by their pictures and I miss them and it makes
the distance obvious. But, I can talk to them on Facebook, twitter, Skype, and it helps me feel
like I am not so far away.
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24. Noha – I think that it is relative, sometimes it does, other times it doesn't. For me it is more
about being aware of what is happening, how they are faring and for them to be able to do the
same for me.
Malachi – same for me, it helps sometimes but other times I’m just reminded of how far away
I am.
Jinny – I feel very close when I Skype my parents because I can see them but sometimes the
internet is slow and the picture stops moving and then I know that I am away from home.
Laura – it works both ways; if I need to talk to my family all I have to do is call them on
Skype or send instant messages but on the other hand I have to keep things like the time
difference in mind and that keeps me aware that we’re in different places. Again when I see
them celebrating holidays or festivals peculiar to Kenya I am reminded that we’re in two
different worlds.
Karen – well I’m not too far away so I don’t have issues with time difference. However you
can go on Facebook, see your friends online; nothing stops you from chatting with them so
for me it helps me stay close to them and be up to date with what they do.
8. How have social networks helped you settle in at Birmingham City
University?
Malachi – well before I came I already had friends on Facebook who were studying here so I
came, met them, they invited me to groups of more Nigerians and that’s how I’ve been
making new contacts, both for school and even business.
Leonie – I didn’t have friends here at first. Before I came to Birmingham City University the
information about my course on the school website was very inadequate, it was only two
sentences so I did not know anything about the course. So I googled blogs about the course at
BCU and found a guy who studied the course here so I ended up asking him a lot of questions
and he told me everything I need to know.
Miriam – the BCU Fresher's page on Facebook was really helpful when I came; they told us
the places to visit. I also remember when I had a problem with signing in at the international
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25. office; I posted the question on the page and one of the Student Union official’s inboxed me
telling me what to do.
Jinny – I have only just come as an exchange student and the information on the website was
not enough for me to know what to do when I arrived. It was a good thing to meet my
flatmates the day I arrived and I have now joined two groups for Asian students on Facebook.
I saw an old friend who even lives to me so she has been helping me see new places, take
pictures, and shop.
Laura – I came to BCU really late and so my personal tutor/award leader looked me up on
Facebook! And that’s where we started communicating because I didn’t come to Birmingham
with a laptop; it was easy for her to tell me what I needed to do. Also, I was invited to a group
on Facebook called international students from the lower part of Africa. Through that group
I’ve met lots of people, made new friends from other countries and I feel more at home now
and can say I’ve settled in nicely.
Karen – the BCU Fresher’s page on Facebook was really useful for me because I made lots of
friends there and even met my flat mates there. That was good for me because we became
friends even before I arrived and that helped us blend and become friends faster.
Noha – I have made new friends, joined new groups that I now communicate with, and get
invited to events that I attend that are very interesting.
9. Using the keys (strongest), (strong), (weak), and X (never/don’t use/don’t
know), represent the level of your relationship with a) your family, b)your existing
friendships, c)new relationships, d)professional colleagues, and e)religion.
Responses to question 9 are scanned and attached as PDF files for appendix 2.
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