migrants
Definition
Migrants refers to individuals who have relocated from one country or cultural context to another and who undergo processes of acculturation as they negotiate their heritage culture alongside the culture of their settlement society. This population includes distinct subgroups, among them refugees, asylum seekers, and international students, each of whom encounters acculturation differently depending on the circumstances and technologies available during and after their journeys. Digital technologies have substantially altered the acculturation experiences of these groups, enabling near-synchronous contact with countries of origin, access to information throughout migration journeys, and connection to both co-ethnic communities and members of the host society. Where traditional acculturation frameworks assumed that physical relocation would reduce ties to the home culture and push migrants toward forging new local connections, widespread internet access and social media use have made sustained transnational engagement a normal feature of the migrant experience. Digitally mediated acculturation now takes place concurrently with face-to-face adjustment, adding cyberspace as a distinct dimension within which identity negotiation, community formation, and cultural adaptation occur.
Sources: Stuart et al. (2025)
Related Terms
- acculturation (1 shared article)
- social media (1 shared article)
- digital technology (1 shared article)
- mobile phones (1 shared article)
- digital diaspora (1 shared article)
Applications
Migrants and Acculturation
Acculturation for migrants has historically been conceptualised in terms of two dimensions, the preservation of cultural heritage and engagement with the settlement society, with adaptive outcomes classified as psychological, sociocultural, or intercultural. Digital technologies have expanded this framework by introducing cyberspace as an additional context in which acculturative processes unfold, meaning migrants now manage cultural contact across both physical and online environments. Social media use, in particular, has been associated with both the maintenance of heritage ties and the formation of new connections within the host culture, creating conditions that can support adjustment but can also generate competing social demands.
Sources: Stuart et al. (2025)
Migrants and Digital Diaspora
Digital diasporas are communities of migrant groups who use online platforms to maintain transnational identities, participate in homeland politics, and build networks that span multiple countries. For migrants embedded in these communities, digital engagement can shape their sense of belonging and influence how they integrate within their settlement societies. The formation of these communities represents a departure from earlier migration patterns, in which physical relocation constrained ongoing connection to the country of origin and made local community building a practical necessity.
Sources: Stuart et al. (2025)
Migrants and Social Media
Migrants use social media to build bonding social capital through maintaining ties with their home culture and bridging social capital through forming connections within the host society. These dual functions can support psychological adjustment, though heavy engagement oriented toward the heritage culture may hinder participation in the settlement society and increase stress. Social media also provides migrants with relatively low-cost, flexible access to information about the host culture and opportunities for language learning, both of which contribute to sociocultural adaptation.
Sources: Stuart et al. (2025)
