Wenxuecity. Chinese immigrants on-line community. Ethnical issues Dissertation

Wenxuecity. Chinese immigrants on-line community. Ethnical issues - Dissertation Example They were sent an invitation to participate in the study further through an interactive interview conducted through emails or instant messaging platforms of their choice. They were also asked the following questions in order to qualify them for the second criterion – that traditional media does not play a significant role in his daily life (Appendix B). Based on the responses to these questions, I selected twenty users who display the second criterion the most. That is, they exhibit interest in getting the latest updates about China, and the Chinese people and culture at large, and that they do not get this information from traditional media. Furthermore, they exhibit knowledge about the fifth question’s subject matter, not only through their actual subscriptions and affiliations, but through their expression of interest to get connected and develop deeper understanding. After twenty users were selected based on the criteria mentioned above, I proceeded to schedule the interactive interviews. These happened within a period of one month since the questions were sent one after another, the succeeding question mainly based on the previous answer. I also allowed the respondent during the time to deliver a meaningful personal account of experiences, and the flexibility to do it at his or her own pace. Data Analysis The method of analyzing data is to analyze the transcripts to discern patterns of responses. The patterns are ascertained by examining a series of coded utterances, with an eye towards data which fit the overall themes of the research at hand. What I found was that the respondents used the website for a variety of reasons, therefore the challenge was to ascertain under what theme the reasons fit. For instance, a common response from Respondents was that... Each of the members of the group stated that they felt the need to connect with other Chinese people, because they felt out of place in the current society, in one way or another. Under this theme were several sub-themes. One sub-theme was that the Chinese in this survey felt that they needed to bond with one another because they felt somehow at odds with American culture. Therefore, the question regarding this sub-theme is why do the Chinese feel at odds with American culture, and how does Wenxuecity help in combating these feelings? Another sub-theme was that Wenxuecity helps the Respondents is how does Wenxuecity help with this feeling of connectedness with their Chinese family and friends? These sub-themes are explored below. Feelings of disconnection with the larger culture, and how the Wenxuecity helps the Respondents feel connected to one another. One of the major themes which emerged is that the Respondents felt that they were not a part of the dominant culture, and they needed to feel a sense of connectedness with others, so this site is their way of feeling that they are a part of a community. Some of the Resondents, as, for instance, A, C, G, S, and T, state that they currently have friends who are American, along with those who are Chinese, yet they do not entirely relate to their American friends. G states that his American friends simply do not â€Å"get it† - in other words, they do not get what it means to be Chinese. There are different values, beliefs and backgrounds that the Respondents have from their American cohorts and friends, and that is simply something that cannot be bridged. The respondents state that they feel out of place in the dominant culture, despite the fact that some of the respondents have been here in American for many years.