Evaluating Third-Person Effects Among Foreigners on China’s Social Media:Wechat and Tantan as Case Study

作     者：Uchenna Kingsley Anunne YAN Lifeng 

作者机构：School of Journalism and CommunicationXiamen UniversityFujianChina 

出 版 物：《Journalism and Mass Communication》 (新闻与大众传媒（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2019年第9卷第2期

页      面：63-73页

学科分类：05[文学] 

主　　题：Wechat networking media influence online exposure 

摘      要：The social media have become part of the daily lives of foreigners living in China as they try to cope with social cultural dynamics of their environment. They rely on social media to keep in touch with loved ones, make new friends, and keep in touch with news and information around the world. To many of them, the social media are a necessary tool in managing boredom. However, the use of the social media comes with the challenge of third-person effect (TPE), a hypothesis which holds that individuals believe media have more effects on others than they have on themselves. Using two of the leading social media apps in China, Wechat and Tantan, by using a survey approach, we investigated the manifestation of TPE among foreigners in China who are members of the selected social media communities. Our results confirm TPE among our study group. It also shows that those under the influence of TPE have the potential for social media addiction. We advise that social media users are conscious of TPE in view of its negative effects on their well-being.