Social Media as a Bridge to IT Careers for International Students in Helsinki
Fang, Haili (2025)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025120532955
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025120532955
Tiivistelmä
This thesis examined how social media platforms facilitated the multidimensional adaptation of international students in Helsinki, with a particular focus on their professional development in the Information Technology (IT) sector. The study aimed to identify the platforms most fre quently used by international IT students, analyze the types of support provided, and explore students’ perceptions of how social media platforms contributed to academic success and pro fessional networking.
The research was grounded in Multidimensional Adaptation Theory, which includes academic and professional dimensions, and Social Media Capital Theory, which highlights access to re sources and networks through social media interaction. A qualitative, exploratory methodology is adopted, combining semi-structured interviews with 3-5 international IT students and an online questionnaire distributed to 15-20 Bachelor’s and Master’s level students in Helsinki.
The results provides that platforms such as LinkedIn, GitHub, and Discord supported career de velopment, skill demonstration, and integration into Finnish IT communities. The study exam ines which platforms are most commonly used, what types of support they offer, and how they contribute to students’ academic success and integration into Finnish working life. The study concluded that social media a bridge between academic and professional adaptation, offering valuable insights for international IT-related students and Finnish higher education.
The research was grounded in Multidimensional Adaptation Theory, which includes academic and professional dimensions, and Social Media Capital Theory, which highlights access to re sources and networks through social media interaction. A qualitative, exploratory methodology is adopted, combining semi-structured interviews with 3-5 international IT students and an online questionnaire distributed to 15-20 Bachelor’s and Master’s level students in Helsinki.
The results provides that platforms such as LinkedIn, GitHub, and Discord supported career de velopment, skill demonstration, and integration into Finnish IT communities. The study exam ines which platforms are most commonly used, what types of support they offer, and how they contribute to students’ academic success and integration into Finnish working life. The study concluded that social media a bridge between academic and professional adaptation, offering valuable insights for international IT-related students and Finnish higher education.