Asian American social media use: From cyber dependence and cyber harassment to saving face.

Nationally representative studies have found significant racial differences in social media use; however, most of these investigations do not disaggregate Asian American findings due to the relatively small proportion of Asian Americans in representative samples. Most purposive studies specifically about Asian social media use have been conducted in Asian countries and have used primarily quantitative methods. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-method design, we analyze data from a large (N = 1,872) purposive online survey of adolescents and emerging adults aged 18-25 years old and follow-up interviews with 24 adult Asian American women. This is the first study of its kind to examine the relative prevalence of social media behaviors across racial/ethnic groups with Asian Americans disaggregated as a unique subgroup and as the racial group of reference. It provides more descriptive and detailed accounts of how, when, and why cyber dependence, cyber harassment, and saving face/impression management behaviors occur within Asian American women's social networking communities. We discuss the overarching themes of maintenance of privacy and limiting loss of face, avoiding stigma related to negative emotional states, and personal conceptualizations of cyber harassment. Finally, we provide practical suggestions for clinical practitioners and future directions for social media use and racial/ethnic disparities.