Digital Media as Sites for Cultural Identity Development: The Case of Hmong American Emerging Adults

Abstract

Although academic and popular interest in how digital media affect youth has exploded in recent years, research rarely addresses the roles of culture and cultural identity in youth digital media use. Especially conspicuous is the inattention to Asian Americans—the fastest growing racial or ethnic group in the United States. This study explores how 17 Hmong American emerging adults’ (M_age = 21.94 years) digital media use shapes, and is shaped by, their cultural identity development. To construct a nuanced portrait, this study draws from multiple data sources: (a) participant framings of their digital media use in relation to their cultural identity during in-depth interviews, (b) the type of cultural content that a selection of participants posted on their social media profiles, and (c) participants’ ethnic identity scores (included to contextualize qualitative results). Inductive thematic analysis revealed that participants use digital media to explore and express their cultural identities, and to escape and reshape Hmong values. Results further revealed that participants’ digital media use elicits awareness of—and for some, assists in reconciling—tensions between Hmong and American values. Altogether, findings highlight the complex role of digital media in the cultural identity development of Hmong American youth.