journal article Open Access Apr 18, 2019

Refugee resettlement, social media and the social organization of difference

Global Networks Vol. 20 No. 2 pp. 274-291 · Wiley
View at Publisher Save 10.1111/glob.12233
Abstract
AbstractSocial media platforms allow refugees separated by distance to share information, provide support and exchange resources across borders. This connection has the potential to transform resettlement experiences as people maintain significant and ongoing relationships with transnational networks. Yet, since refugee resettlement programmes generally only scale up to the national imagination, integration remains a normative framework in most policy spheres. This article presents a 12‐month digital ethnography of 15 refugees settled in New Zealand with a view to examining their transnational practices of social media and its influence on integration and belonging. Drawing on a conceptual framework based on the social organization of difference, it contains a discussion on how online global networks increasingly inform the domains of encounters, representations and configurations. The role of social media for refugee resettlement futures and its implications for integration at times of rapid political, technological and social change concludes the article.
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References
Details
Published
Apr 18, 2019
Vol/Issue
20(2)
Pages
274-291
License
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Cite This Article
JAY MARLOWE (2019). Refugee resettlement, social media and the social organization of difference. Global Networks, 20(2), 274-291. https://doi.org/10.1111/glob.12233