Global Perspectives

Trends here, trends there: Social media

Introduction: As writing instructors in UWRF’s English Language Transition (ELT) Program one of our missions is to involve English learning students in campus activities while strengthening their knowledge of English. We could think of no better way to do this than to have them publish an article in the Student Voice. What you are about to read is the final product of several sessions of brainstorming and writing followed by consultations with native speakers including some from the TESOL program and the Student Voice. -- Kiki Augustin (ESL 211 Intermediate Writing) and Alex Hatheway (MODL 310 Advanced Composition)

Just as American students use Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook to maintain the social net, Chinese young people use Weibo, Wechat and QQ for this.

However, they use each site for different functions for most of the time. Weibo is like a window to the world. We can focus on something related to the news, our hobbies and idols with it. Compared to the social apps American use, Weibo is more similar to the Twitter while Wechat is more likely to Snapchat or Facebook.

On Wechat, we can only talk to friends and glance at their shared pictures to know their recent status. Mostly, Chinese people often contact with official groups or job partners on QQ. Because one of its functions is saving files, we can look through them in the future. It is more convenient and popular for us to take them in specifically different ways.

Although the old generation may feel these apps a little harder to handle, they also have a great opportunity to experience these new ways to touch their interests, news and persons. In conclusion, both modern American and Chinese use their own social media to make connections with society. The trend of this is exploring more social media to let individuals even the old people know more about the world while expressing themselves on those.