Digital and Traditional Intercultural Communication in Maintaining National Identity: Evidence from the Kazakh Diaspora in Turkey and United States

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33152/jmphss-10.3.1

Keywords:

Digital Age, Identity Maintenance, Intercultural Communication, Kazakh Diaspora, National Identity, Social Media, Transnational Communication.

Abstract

Geographical distance between the homeland and the diaspora creates difficulties in preserving and recreating identity, particularly within digital and culturally networked spaces.

This research quantitatively analyzed the relationship between the traditional and digital intercultural communication and the national identity of Kazakh diaspora in terms of age and duration of living in foreign countries.

Digital diaspora theory was used to guide the research, using quantitative cross-sectional survey with snowball sampling on 100 respondents with the aid of a structured questionnaire on the aspects of traditional communication, digital communication, and national identity.

Digital communication has a positive and stronger relationship with national identity (r =0.46, p <0.05) compared to traditional communication with positive but weaker relationship (r = 0.21, p <0.05). Age positively predicted national identity (β = 0.20, p <0.05), while the years spent abroad had an inverted impact (β= -0.35, p <0.05).  Turkeys show more dependence on traditional communication (M = 3.40) compared to U.S. respondents who preferred digital communication (M = 4.10). Moreover, there was a significant difference in national identity score of Turkey when compared to the U.S. (t = 3.39, p = 0.001, d = 0.47).

The findings indicate that traditional and digital communication are strongly related to the national identity, and participants in Turkey had stronger traditional relations with a greater identity, whereas those in U.S used more communications digitally.

This research provides an empirical contribution to the research on the relation between communication modes and host-country context in constructing diaspora identity in the digital age.

Author Biographies

  • Zhaniya Khassiyetova, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

    PhD doctoral student in Culturology at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. Her research interests include issues of Kazakh national culture and the study of the phenomenon of national and cultural identity.

  • Zukhra Ismagambetova , Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

    Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, philosopher and culturologist, specialist in the philosophy of culture. Her research interests include intercultural communication, cultural and ethnic identity, the culture of tolerance, and cultural anthropology.

  • Aliya Karabayeva, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

    Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, Philosopher specializing in the philosophy of consciousness and language. Her scientific interests focus on philosophical problems of intercultural communication and cultural identity, as well as the philosophical aspects of tolerance.

     

  • Leskhan Askar , Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

    Candidate of Philosophy, Associate Professor, Philosopher and historian of Turkic and Kazakh philosophy. His research focuses on intercultural communication and the culture of logical thinking.

     

  • Saltanat Aubakirova , Toraighyrov University

    PhD, Associate Professor, Culturologist, researcher specializing in issues of cultural and ethnic identity, tolerance, and intercultural communication

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2026-05-28

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Vol. 10 No. 3: JMPHSS (Issue continued.....)

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Copyright (c) 2026 Zhaniya Khassiyetova, Zukhra Ismagambetova , Aliya Karabayeva, Leskhan Askar , Saltanat Aubakirova

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How to Cite

Khassiyetova, Z., Ismagambetova , Z., Karabayeva, A., Askar , L., & Aubakirova , S. (2026). Digital and Traditional Intercultural Communication in Maintaining National Identity: Evidence from the Kazakh Diaspora in Turkey and United States. Journal of Management Practices, Humanities and Social Sciences, 10(3), 338-351. https://doi.org/10.33152/jmphss-10.3.1