Friendship Across Cultures: Malaysian Youths in Online and Real-Life Contexts

The application of digital communication tools has emerged as a significant catalyst in stimulating cross-cultural friendships. Therefore, this study analyses the use of communication tools in sustaining cross-cultural friendship patterns among Malaysian youths. The primary objective of this research is to examine and compare online and real-life cross-cultural friendship patterns. Utilizing a quantitative research design, an online questionnaire was distributed via Google Forms to Malaysian university students selected through stratified random sampling based on ethnicity and university type. The collected data was analysed using descriptive analysis. The findings indicate that while digital platforms actively facilitate cross-cultural interactions and support systems, youths still demonstrate a strong overall preference for face-to-face interactions to sustain these friendships. Ultimately, this research provides further evidence that for Malaysian youths prefer real-life interactions when participating in cross-cultural friendships.

Intercultural Communication Competence, Friendship Patterns, Cross-Cultural Interaction, Malaysian Youths

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