Lesbian and gay expatriates use of social media to aid acculturation

Abstract

An emerging area of interest is that of groups within the ‘non-traditional’ expatriate and ‘trailing others’. Despite over 15 years acknowledgement of non-traditional groups such as female expatriates, male trailing spouses and dual career couples, an exploration of Lesbian and Gay, (LG) expatriate experiences in the literature has been scant. With a shrinking global talent pool, it is critical to identify, recruit and grow capable cohorts and to facilitate their acculturation into new destinations. This research explores the unique social capital resource which is held by this cohort, through their use of social media to assist in global mobility and acculturation. These are often highly qualified and educated, dual career and globally mobile members of society. This research presents key themes emerging from interviews with 21 LG expatriates about their use of social media in their lived acculturation. We explored the issues surrounding self-orientated, others-oriented, perceptual and cultural toughness dimensional challenges for LG expatriates. We propose a unique strategy is used by some LG expatriates in acculturation: duplicity. Future research ideas are also considered.