Through talking to students about their experiences communicating across time zones, we found that people don’t usually have a big problem with the time zones. Generally technology provides people with a way to connect to family and friends outside of Australia. People found that connecting to people overseas was very relaxed and that they were able to reply whenever they have the time, even if it’s not instantly, thanks to social media, allowing them to pick up conversations where they left off. However, if people were put into a situation where they needed to contact home immediately, they have found this difficult due to time differences.
We found that the greater the physical geographical distance, and therefore time difference, the less consistent communication that people had with family and friends back home. The people who contact friends and family in America all discussed the fact that their communication is much more sporadic, as in they respond to messages and Snapchats on their on time when they wake up and see them. Multiple people that we interviewed mentioned the convenience of using Snapchat, as it allows them to follow their friends days and lives through their Snapchat stories.Overall, communication to home and friends abroad lessens as time goes on, regardless of the geographical space, because students become more comfortable and confident in their own environment and establish a way of life. Students can be more relaxed about their communication since technology and social media has made it extremely easy to communicate across time zones at almost any given time.
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