new media & society 1–20 © The Author(s) 2011 Reprints and permission: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1461444811418627 nms.sagepub.com Social networking and adjustments among international students Jih-Hsuan Lin National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan Wei Peng Michigan State University, USA Mijung Kim Michigan State University, USA Sung Yeun Kim Syracuse University, USA Robert LaRose Michigan State University, USA Abstract How do social media facilitate adjustment to changes in social structure and culture? This research examines the impact of online social networking on online and offline social capitals and adjustment of international students in the United States. A survey of 195 international students in a major Midwestern university showed that students’ interactions with Americans and home country friends using Facebook, extroversion, and horizontal collectivism were positively related to international students’ social adjustment and online bridging capital. Facebook usage mediated the relationship between extroversion and online social capital. The implications of social network site use, personality, and cultural difference on social capital and adjustment are discussed. Corresponding author: Jih-Hsuan Lin, Department of Communication and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan Email: tammyly2002@gmail.com 418627NMS XX X 10.1177/1461444811418627Lin et al.New Media & Society Article at SYRACUSE UNIV LIBRARY on September 1, 2011 nms.sagepub.com Downloaded from