Learning in the Wild Behaviours: Migrants Seeking Information Through Social Media

Project Lead

Team Members

Anna Triandafyllidou, Stein Monteiro, Isar Nejadgholi

Sub-Theme: ADTs Role in Mediating Migration Decisions and Expectations

Projects in this sub-theme explore how ADTS such as online platforms, social media, and AI influence migration decisions by shaping information infrastructures, impacting mobility aspirations, and altering settlement experiences for immigrants.

Objective

This project explores how newcomers use different social media platforms for information retrieval and connective learning, both before migration and during settlement.

The study focuses on micro-influencers as digital content creators with distinctive brand personas and significant online followings. For immigrant and diaspora influencers, content often centres on migration experiences, adaptation to the host society, and connections to the homeland.

By examining these practices, the project contributes to understanding how digital platforms and diaspora vloggers shape newcomers’ access to information, community connections and integration experiences.

Research question(s)

What are the features/factors that shape migrants' usage of social media platforms for seeking information or building networks?
What is the connection between in-person and online seeking of information and networking?
What types of information are migrants seeking and learning from online connections and communities?
What are the main concerns of newcomers when using social media?
What role do immigrant micro-influencers play within Canada’s immigration ecosystem?

Methodology

This project will use a mixed-methods approach including qualitative interviews with micro-influencers, primarly recruited through Instagram and YouTube.