Online and Offline: the Social Network of Vietnamese Marriage Immigrants in Taiwan

• Main Authors: An-Chun Chang, 張安君
• Other Authors: Feng-Yuan Kuo
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/08920883885835933893

碩士 === 國立中山大學 === 傳播管理研究所 === 101 === With the prevalence of Information Communication Technology and the dynamic immigration scenario in Taiwan, this study aims to understand how the Vietnamese immigrants in Taiwan use computers and the Internet that develop their interpersonal relationship, and further more, accumulate their social capital. The qualitative research is conducted from 12/2010 to 5/2012, which interviewed 10 Vietnamese immigrants who are computer users as well. This work argues that the Internet can help immigrants develop their social network, maintain and enhance their original ties, and create new ties between online and offline activities. On the top of that, the immigrant group formed a local community through social network site to increase their social capital. Three stages are discovered of computer use among individuals interviewed. The first one is “crossing the boundary of home”, they have to negotiate with their family members in order to initiate a non-family social network. Most of the participants in this study choose to start it from school. The second stage is “family” through time and spaces. The interviewees have different ways to possess computers at home, which implies their hierarchies of computer use in family. After they adopt computer and the Internet, they discover/ build-up an immigrant’s net online throughout the country. The third stage is that they transferred the social network into social capital. Due to the differences of culture, economic capital and computer usage, they generate differentiated social capital.