Use social media to create a digital community for international students

For many international students, support first comes not from orientation sessions or lecture halls, but through their phones. In Hong Kong, platforms like WeChat, RedNote, WhatsApp and Instagram are the go-to spaces for finding housing, sharing study tips and connecting with peers who understand the ups and downs of settling into a new city. 

This kind of support can be powerful but it’s often fragmented. Instead, let’s channel that energy into inclusive digital communities to help these students feel at home. Our analysis of international students’ social media practices in Hong Kong has shown the ways these platforms structure their academic journeys but also highlights opportunities to step in and support them.

Six practical ways to harness social media

1. From comfort circles to campus integration

International students naturally gravitate toward peers from similar cultural and linguistic backgrounds online. This can provide comfort and reinforce shared identity but can also limit opportunities for wider engagement. Appoint digital buddies, typically senior students from the same region, to capitalise on this tendency. With proper training and small incentives, these buddies can guide newcomers through practical challenges while encouraging participation in cross-cultural groups and campus activities. In this way, familiar networks become springboards into the broader university community, helping students feel supported from day one.

2. Transform weak ties into career pathways

Another way international students use social media is to brush up on the local job market, establishing ties that can lead to internships or even job leads. Build on this by leveraging social media to connect your students with trusted industry partners. 

• How storytelling can turn international students into the most powerful voices in the room
• Using technology to support international students
• Tips to help international students feel at home from day one

For example, regularly share verified career postings and local events, and host interactive sessions. Something like an Instagram Live conversation with student affairs staff, local employers and alums is ideal. Initiatives like these help students explore post-study opportunities and cultivate deeper local connections, which might otherwise remain out of reach.

3. Social media as a cultural exchange space

Group chats frequently evolve into spaces for language exchange and cultural comparison, helping international students negotiate cultural differences with local peers and foster a sense of belonging. Tap into this dynamic on your institutional social media platforms by experimenting with formats that invite interaction. 

Instagram carousels and reels can be used to highlight local norms and customs, while tagged stories can encourage students to reshare posts and add personal commentary. On TikTok or Douyin, duets and remixes enable students to engage with university clips, adding personal flair to viral trends and adapting institutional content with a distinctive creative twist. Using these features can transform social media into a two-way cultural learning exchange, shifting international students from passive observers to active interlocutors.

4. Amplify student identity and achievement

International students often use social media to celebrate milestones such as receiving admission letters or winning awards. These posts are not simply personal updates but acts of projecting confidence and affirming their sense of belonging within the university community. Amplify student voices across your own social media feeds, transforming individual student achievements into collective pride. 

Formats such as “a day in the life” reels or TikToks, student-led takeovers or spotlight features are perfect for this, inviting authentic storytelling while giving visibility to international students. Not only does this approach foster inclusivity but it also empowers students to present themselves as high achievers and proud representatives of their cultural backgrounds.

5. Share resources through peer voices

By joining forces, student affairs and global engagement offices can launch a student content ambassador programme that brings together both international and local students, who are already active vloggers, to highlight campus and city life in dynamic and creative ways.

Through short videos and posts capturing residence halls, classrooms, student services and the rhythm of city life, these ambassadors deliver content that doubles as both storytelling and practical insight. In this way, social media turns into a trusted space for current international students, where practical tips and resource information are presented in visually engaging and easy-to-access formats. For prospective students, these materials deliver an authentic and dependable view of campus life, reducing unknowns and offering relatable perspectives beyond what formal brochures or official websites typically capture.

6. Strengthen digital literacy

Many students are adept at using social media to connect, but far fewer know how to navigate it critically and effectively. The risks are significant: in Hong Kong, authorities recently reported a surge in phone and social media scams, targeting mostly international students, with thousands of cases in just one month. 

We cannot afford to treat digital literacy as an optional extra. Embedding it into orientation programmes can equip both home and international students to spot misinformation, avoid scams and engage online with confidence. Use practical exercises, such as comparing genuine versus fake housing ads or identifying phishing emails disguised as messages from professors. By teaching students to question what they see online, universities not only protect them from costly mistakes but also empower them to use digital platforms safely and effectively throughout their academic journey.

Harnessing social media as a structured extension of university support systems offers far more than convenience. It represents a transformative opportunity to reimagine how we welcome and empower international students. The future depends on support teams treating social media not as a peripheral distraction but as a vital platform for community-building, cultural exchange and career development. This approach has the power to redefine the student experience, turning digital spaces into engines of belonging, opportunity and success.

Liubov Darzhinova is research assistant professor in the Graduate School of the Education University of Hong Kong.

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