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Technologies of freedom: Digital ethnicity of migrants

Mitra, A

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Authors

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Amit Mitra Amit.Mitra@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Professor in Strategy & Operations Management



Contributors

Hulya Talu nhtirmandioglu@gelisim.edu.tr
Editor

Abstract

Given difficult conditions in different regions of the world, it is no wonder that people embark on journeys to regions where they may feel secure, seek refuge, be able to acquire a livelihood, as well as carry on a type of living. At the same time, when migrants arrive in a new country that they have hitherto never been to, there is an expectation that they will integrate into the host country’s way of life, buy into shared beliefs and prevalent value systems. Many migrants are active social media users and so their digital proclivities tend to define their narratives as does their physical realities. Therefore, deconstruction of digital narratives of migrants may lead to a conceptualisation of transitional ethnicities pertaining to virtual and physical journeys. Preliminary evidence on social media use among migrants to Germany, do not attest to the unalloyed blessing that social media is in aiding integration. In contrast social media-based engagement by migrants highlights encouragement of effects of isolation, and consequent ghetto-isation. Drawing upon extant literature on anthropology of migration, we argue that migrants’ use of social media creates a liminality that is synonymous to ambiguity and disorientation that may diminish through a composite adaptation of virtual and physical ethnic identities. Evidence for the study was collected through in-depth interviews of migrants in several Swedish cities including Stockholm, Jönköping, Malmö, and Gothenburg.

Citation

Mitra, A. (2018, May). Technologies of freedom: Digital ethnicity of migrants. Presented at 2nd Gelisim-UWE International Conference on Economics, Finance and Management, Istanbul, Turkey

Presentation Conference Type Keynote
Conference Name 2nd Gelisim-UWE International Conference on Economics, Finance and Management
Conference Location Istanbul, Turkey
Start Date May 3, 2018
End Date May 4, 2018
Acceptance Date May 1, 2018
Publication Date May 3, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Pages 1-9
Keywords migration, social media use, digital ethnicity, diaspora, transnationalism
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/868377
Publisher URL http://gelisim.edu.tr
Additional Information Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : 2nd Gelisim-UWE International Conference on Economics, Finance and Management

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