When you are homesick it can be easy to turn to social media platforms for support regarding your Expat Experience in Korea. However, this may not always be a healthy choice for those struggling with culture shock. The following post delves into how social media algorithms, confirmation bias, and the expat experience intersect. Not a sexy topic but very important for happiness.
My Experience with Algorithms and Culture Shock
As an international resident in South Korea with nearly 25 years of experience in algorithms, SEO, social media, and their impact on social groups, I’ve observed how these digital tools can profoundly shape our perceptions of a culture and our ability or desire to integrate into that culture. Originally this work focused on marginalized groups in the United States and international communities in Mexico.
Acknowledging the Algorithm in the Room
The following post seeks to shed light on the Expat Experience in Korea and the pitfalls of digital echo chambers, confirmation bias, and algorithm-driven content feeds. I hope to empower expats (also referred to as international residents) to question their algorithms and assess their impact on their lives. Through personal anecdotes, research findings, and practical tips, we’ll explore how heightened awareness can help you harness algorithms wisely without letting them define or distort the rich tapestry of life in South Korea.
Keep in mind, I am NOT anti-algorithm or technology. In fact, working in the tech space is a great joy for me. I simply want to inform and empower. Let’s get into it.
Technology, Culture Shock, and the Expat Experience
You may find moving abroad and navigating a new culture can be exhilarating and emotionally challenging. For many international residents, social media becomes an important way to stay connected with friends and family back home, find other international community members with similar backgrounds, and seek advice from online communities. However, algorithms and confirmation bias—often working hand in hand—can create hidden traps that exacerbate struggles with culture shock or skew perspectives on the host country.
Potential Impact of Echo Chambers on Mental Health
In short, your online experience becomes an echo chamber of your best and worst experiences in a country which may lead you to believe that your experience exists as a universal truth. This then can result in interpreting minor negative interactions—like an offhand comment or a single confusing government appointment—as proof that “everyone here is unfriendly” or “the system is always broken.” Consequently, you might withdraw from local engagement and miss opportunities to build authentic connections or access valuable resources, ultimately prolonging and deepening feelings of isolation and culture shock.
To keep disconnections from happening, let’s dive more into how online echo chambers get built.
How Algorithms Shape Reality
Social media algorithms are designed to present users with content that keeps them engaged. They learn from your likes, shares, comments, and even dwell time on certain posts or videos. Over time, these algorithms can:
- Amplify selective exposure: If you frequently watch or interact with content criticizing local customs or highlighting only positive “tourist-friendly” experiences, algorithms will serve you more of the same.
- Narrow your viewpoint: You may miss balanced or diverse perspectives because the feed prioritizes your established preferences. This “echo chamber” can lead to oversimplifications of life abroad.
- Intensify emotional responses: Content that provokes strong emotions tends to get more engagement. For example, content related to excitement, anger, or outrage performs best. This can distort your sense of what’s “normal” in your new environment, fueling confusion or reinforcing stereotypes.
Let’s take a look at an example of this from our research.
Example in a Korean Context
Imagine you’re moving to Korea and following a handful of Western influencers who focus exclusively on the country’s glamorous nightlife, trendy cafés, and must-try beauty products. Each time you like or share one of these glitzy posts, the algorithm takes note and shows you even more of the same. Over time, your feed becomes dominated by perfectly curated snapshots of an Instagram-ready Korea. You are excited to get out there and feel those immaculate vibes.
While this might seem harmless or even inspiring, it can create an unrealistic “highlight reel” of daily life. When you eventually face real-world hurdles in accessing experiences you saw online, it can feel shocking or disheartening because of challenges like language barriers, complex bureaucracy, or cultural nuances. This disconnect may reinforce culture shock, making it harder to adapt or appreciate the full breadth of Korean life.
This dissonance between curated online content and real-life challenges can trigger more intense culture shock behaviors, such as heightened irritation with day-to-day differences, isolation from local communities, and a deepened reliance on like-minded online groups.
Over time, these reactions not only impede personal growth and cross-cultural understanding but also propagate narrow stereotypes about the host country. This may impact overall social cohesion. When expats remain trapped in an online echo chamber, it limits opportunities for genuine engagement and mutual respect, ultimately hindering both individual adaptation and broader societal harmony.
Confirmation Bias: Seeing What You Expect
Confirmation bias is our tendency to look for and interpret information in a way that confirms our preexisting beliefs. For international residents, this can manifest in several ways:
- Focusing on the familiar: If you already believe that the local bureaucracy is inefficient, you might gravitate toward content or forums that reinforce this perception, missing examples of efficient or well-run services.
- Reinforcing stereotypes: If you suspect locals might be unfriendly to foreigners, you’ll pay more attention to stories confirming this view while ignoring countless positive interactions.
- Sustaining culture shock: Instead of adapting and learning about local nuances, you may remain stuck in frustration or isolation, continuously exposing yourself to content that echoes your dissatisfaction.
Why This Can Be Problematic for Culture Shock
When algorithms (feeding you repetitive content) collide with confirmation bias (making you believe what you already suspect), culture shock can worsen. Instead of moving through the natural phases—honeymoon, frustration, adjustment, and adaptation—some expats get stuck in a loop of negative or overly idealized portrayals of their new environment.
- Exacerbated isolation: You might remain in expat-only circles online, missing opportunities to immerse in local culture or learn new language skills.
- Polarized perspectives: Seeing only extreme content (either highly critical or overly romanticized) about the host country can make real-life experiences confusing or jarring.
- Delayed adaptation: By reinforcing preconceived notions, you might be slower to adapt, build new relationships, or develop an accurate understanding of local norms.
Multiple Perspectives on This Intersection
Taking the impact of algorithms on culture shock into consideration, you may want to consider your algorithm and how it may impact your long-term success:
- Positive: Algorithms can quickly connect you with supportive communities and practical resources (e.g., housing tips, job leads). This can ease feelings of homesickness and reduce the initial shock of living abroad.
- Critical: Overreliance on social media feeds can lead to narrow, skewed views. The digital “safety net” might discourage engaging with real-life cultural experiences.
- Balanced: Recognize the benefits of online networks but stay mindful of potential biases. Seek out diverse sources, including local media and cultural events, to build a fuller picture of your host country.
After considering this impact, you may also want to consider different ways of managing that impact on your life.
Strategies for Overcoming Algorithmic Pitfalls
You can take charge of how online algorithms impact your life in a few different ways:
- Consciously Diversify Your Feed
- Follow creators and influencers from different backgrounds, political stances, and social circles. The expat experiences in Korea are diverse.
- Subscribe to local news outlets in both English (if available) and the local language for a broader perspective.
- Engage in Offline Experiences
- Attend local meetups, cultural festivals, or language exchanges.
- Balancing online and offline interactions helps counter digital echo chambers.
- Challenge Your Own Beliefs
- Periodically seek out opinions that differ from your own.
- Ask yourself whether your reactions to content are based on preexisting assumptions.
- Be Aware of Emotional Triggers
- Notice if certain types of posts regarding the expat experience in Korea repeatedly provoke anger, sadness, or anxiety.
- Consider muting or unfollowing accounts that don’t contribute to healthy, open-minded learning.
- Use Tools and Settings Wisely
- Most platforms let you manage your feed or adjust algorithmic recommendations.
- Consider exploring “incognito” or “logged-out” browsing for a more neutral search experience.
My Final Thoughts
Algorithms and confirmation bias can converge to create distorted expat experiences in Korea. Balancing digital engagement with real-world interaction and actively seeking diverse, credible sources can help you navigate your new environment more accurately and adapt with greater confidence.
Lanae Rivers-Woods moved to Korea in 2011 where she lives in the countryside with her family, friends, and puppies. She holds a BSSW (Bachelor’s of Science in Social Work), a MAIT (Master’s of Arts in International Teaching), and registered by the Pyeongtaek Korean Times with the Korean government as a Cultural Expert.
Ms. Rivers-Woods used her 15 years experience as a social architect, UX/UI designer, and technology consultant to found South of Seoul in 2015. South of Seoul is a volunteer organization that leverages technological tools to mitigate cultural dissonance in multi-cultural communities.
Through South of Seoul, Ms. Rivers-Woods works with independent volunteers, non-profit organizations, businesses, local & federal government, universities, and US military organizations to develop solutions to support English speaking international residents in rural South Korea.
Additionally, Ms. Rivers-Woods founded the South of Seoul smart phone app available for Google Play and iPhone. The app provides information a resources for those living and traveling in South Korea.
When she isn’t in South of Seoul development meetings or working her day job, Ms. Rivers-Woods loves to be outside at skate parks, the beach, or playing in the mountains.
