Pengaruh Penggunaan Media Sosial Berbahasa Jerman Terhadap Kompetensi Interkultural Mahasiswa

Abstract

The development of social media has created new opportunities for foreign language students to engage directly with target cultures. This study aims to examine the influence of German-language social media use on the intercultural competence of university students majoring in German language education. A quantitative survey method was employed involving 120 students from different academic levels. Data were collected through questionnaires measuring the intensity of German-language social media use and students’ intercultural competence. Descriptive statistics and simple linear regression were used for data analysis. The results indicate that German-language social media use has a positive and significant effect on students’ intercultural competence (β = 0.659; p < 0.001; R² = 0.434). Students who frequently access German-language content demonstrate higher levels of cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity, and intercultural communication skills compared to those with lower usage intensity. These findings suggest that social media can serve as an effective informal learning platform for enhancing intercultural competence among foreign language learners.