‘Sometimes it’s harder to speak out things’: How first year New Zealand tertiary students use informal online communication to help solve significant problems

Abstract The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate how first year domestic and international students at a New Zealand university use informal online communication to help solve significant personal problems. These students belong to the generation identified as ‘digital natives’ (Prensky, 2001) and represent a group whose expectations and experience is profoundly shaped by digital technology (Mollgaard, 2007). The majority of students in the study chose to share their problem with a friend or family member. Typically, these problems were most often about relationship and personal issues. The reasons for choosing to share online included convenience, location and also a desire to reduce feelings of vulnerability. For most respondents, the impact of this sharing was positive; however, only one fifth reported that the relationship got closer. While no gender differences emerged in the domestic students’ use of the online medium, the males’ responses to the research questionnaire tended to be more limited in detail. International male students were more likely to report that no change had occurred in their relationship as a result of seeking online help. Three quarters of the students reported that using online support contributed to some extent to the resolution of their problems because of the emotional support provided.