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Third culture kids don’t use the internet the same way everywhere they live, and Ting’s moves between China, the US, Singapore, and Hong Kong show how geography reshapes social media habits, online identity, privacy, language, and communication. As more of our relationships and professional lives move online, understanding how culture and location influence the platforms we use, what we share, and how we connect across borders matters more than ever.
Original publication date: August 16, 2019
What You’ll Learn About Third Culture Kids, Social Media, and Online Identity
- How living in different countries changes social media habits
- Why WeChat became essential for communication in China
- How privacy settings influence what people share online
- Why WhatsApp became important in Singapore and Hong Kong
- How bilingual people use different languages online
- Why geography influences which social media platforms people use
How Living in Different Countries Changes Online Identity
Ting was born in Hainan, grew up in San Francisco and Beijing, attended university in North Carolina, and studied in Singapore and Hong Kong. By middle school, she was already noticing that online profiles showed only selected parts of a person.
As her geography changed, so did the platforms, languages, and social expectations around her.
How Social Media Helps Maintain Friendships Across Borders
At around 14, Ting moved from San Francisco back to Beijing and entered a local Chinese school while rebuilding her Chinese. She dropped from partway through ninth grade in the US back to eighth grade and prepared for the Zhongkao high school entrance exam.
AIM became a way to stay connected with childhood friends in the US and feel less isolated after the move.
Why WeChat Became Essential for Communication in China
Ting didn’t initially understand why classmates wanted smartphones. Then WeChat groups became part of everyday social life, and not having a smartphone meant missing conversations.
Her parents saw smartphones as a distraction, so Ting eventually saved enough money to buy one herself.
How WeChat Privacy Differs From Facebook
Ting kept using WeChat wherever she lived partly because WeChat Moments felt more private than Facebook. Likes and comments are only visible to people who are also connected to the person interacting with the post.
That privacy influenced what people shared, from harmless screenshots of jokes to group-chat arguments exposed publicly.
Why WhatsApp Is Popular for International Communication
During a university exchange in Singapore, Ting encountered another communication norm: exchanging WhatsApp details when meeting someone.
She liked that WhatsApp focused on direct communication rather than giving a new acquaintance access to years of public posts and photos. It stayed important when she later studied in Hong Kong.
How Messaging Apps Support Long-Distance Friendships
Ting met her best friend during the Singapore exchange and became closer to her in Hong Kong. Her friend doesn’t use Facebook or Instagram, so WhatsApp became their main way to message and call across countries.
Different apps weren’t interchangeable. Some became closely tied to particular relationships and places.
How Local Culture Changes Online Conversations
When Ting moved from Singapore to Hong Kong, the apps people used stayed similar, but the conversations changed. She noticed much more politically heated discussion and online activism around local elections.
The technology was similar, but geography changed what people used it to discuss.
How Bilingual People Use Different Languages Online
Ting mainly uses English on Facebook and Instagram. On WeChat, she moves between English and Chinese depending on the person and what she wants to express.
With other third culture kids, she may code-switch between both languages. Often, the language she first uses with someone becomes the language she continues using with them.
Why Geography Influences Social Media Platform Use
MySpace and AIM mattered in California. WeChat became essential in China, while WhatsApp entered Ting’s life in Singapore and remained useful in Hong Kong.
Ting describes herself as “social media slow,” which makes the pattern clearer: geography and community kept deciding which technologies became relevant.
What Old Social Media Posts Reveal About Online Identity
Ting sometimes looks back at old blog and social media posts and barely recognizes the person who created them. She sees that distance as evidence of growth.
For people who move across countries and cultures, old posts can preserve earlier versions of someone whose geography, language, relationships, and ideas about privacy were all changing at the same time.
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