Representations of intercultural communicative competence in technology use

Abstract

The ability to communicate across cultures is a crucial skill in our global workforce, especially for English language learners as a lingua franca. As technology becomes central to how learners access language and culture, it is essential to examine its role in fostering intercultural communicative competence (ICC). This study investigates how ICC is developed through students’ engagement with technology in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) context in Indonesia. The study is situated in Indonesia, where the growing demand for global engagement has increased the need for ESP, yet the integration of ICC within ESP remains limited. Drawing on established ICC models and processes, six Indonesian ESP students participated by documenting their daily use of English through a Day in the Life (DITL) video and semi-structured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis (TA) generated two key themes: technology as a bridge for cultural sharing and learning about cultures through digital communication. These findings illustrate how students navigate and blend formal instruction with informal, self-directed digital practices to develop ICC. The analysis also reveals tensions between surface-level cultural exposure and deeper intercultural competence development.  Implications for ESP pedagogy include encouraging the use of digital tools beyond the classroom, fostering reflection on intercultural experiences, and creating opportunities for real-world communication that challenge native-speaker ideologies.