The Motives and Behavior of Malaysian Chinese Using China’s Social Media

Abstract

With the increasing number of overseas users of China’s social media (CSM), this study aimed to explore the motivation and behavior of Malaysian Chinese in using Chinese social media platforms. A questionnaire was done to 219 Malaysian Chinese, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis in SPSS. The results show that Malaysian Chinese use CSM with high frequency and duration. Their main motives are information, entertainment, and interpersonal interaction. The results indicated that entertainment motivation (?=0.448, p=0.000), information motivation (?=0.348, p=0.000), self-presentation motivation (?=0.142, p=0.047), and social motivation significantly (?=-0.249, p=0.000) affected the use of CSM among Malaysian Chinese, while business motivation did not. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the patterns of Malaysian Chinese usage of CSM and their motivations, which is crucial for marketers and advertisers trying to effectively target this group on social media platforms. Moreover, the findings of this study have important implications for cross-country communication and exchange within the same ethnic culture.