Before the beginning: International students’ negotiation of moving to Australia through Reddit or Xiaohongshu

Abstract

As transient migrants, international students draw on diverse online information sources. While existing research primarily focuses on the information behaviours of international students who have already moved to their host countries, less attention has been given to those in the preparatory phase. Further, less attention has been paid to the different experiences students have in seeking out information prior to departure. To address these gaps, this study examines how international students use two distinct social media platforms – Reddit and Xiaohongshu – to seek information prior to their move. Reddit is a predominantly English-language platform, and Xiaohongshu is primarily used by Chi..