Rethinking Diasporas’ mediated connection to home: The case of overseas Chinese students

This article intends to explore how overseas Chinese students stay connected to their homeland through their everyday media practices. Three different levels of connection are identified through repetitive in-depth interviews and a thematic analysis. By consuming contemporary news and popular entertainment media content, diasporic Chinese students sustain a public connection with their culture of origin. Through frequent contact and exchange of personal experiences on WeChat with parents and friends back home, Chinese students have maintained a private level of connection to China. By bringing one’s favourite book abroad or doing transnational online shopping, Chinese students also manage a material connection with Chinese culture. Among the three levels, the private connection with family is the most emotionally intensive and persistent. These findings enrich the connotation of ‘connection’ in diaspora studies and contribute to the ongoing discussion of what media mean for diasporas.