Communities of/for Interest: Revisiting the Role of Migrants’ Online Groups

Taulant Guma; Stephen Drinkwater; Rhys Dafydd Jones

doi:10.1177/00380385221104008

Communities of/for Interest: Revisiting the Role of Migrants’ Online Groups

Taulant Guma, Stephen Drinkwater, Rhys Dafydd Jones

Adran Daearyddiaeth a Gwyddorau Daear

Allbwn ymchwil: Cyfraniad at gyfnodolyn › Erthygl › adolygiad gan gymheiriaid

1 Dyfyniad (Scopus)

74 Wedi eu Llwytho i Lawr (Pure)

Crynodeb

This article offers a critical examination of the role played by migrants’ online communities. With much of scholarly analysis focusing on the new ways in which online groups enable migrants to connect, interact or socialise together in digital space, little attention has been paid to how these groups are actually formed, by whom and with what motivations. Drawing on qualitative interviews with moderators of online groups created by EU migrants living in Wales, UK, our findings reveal the diverse and sometimes ambivalent roles played by these groups, acting not only as networks of support for migrants (‘communities of interest’) but also driven by commercial motives. To capture the impact of this commercialisation and the complexity in the field, we introduce the notion of ‘communities for interest’. The article thus offers new empirical and conceptual contributions that advance our understanding of migrants’ online communities beyond the much-discussed online/offline and virtual/real dichotomies.

Iaith wreiddiol	Saesneg
Tudalennau (o-i)	516-532
Nifer y tudalennau	17
Cyfnodolyn	Sociology
Cyfrol	57
Rhif cyhoeddi	3
Dyddiad ar-lein cynnar	14 Gorff 2022
Dynodwyr Gwrthrych Digidol (DOIs)	https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385221104008
Statws	Cyhoeddwyd - 01 Meh 2023

Mynediad at Ddogfen

10.1177/00380385221104008Trwydded: CC BY

ArticleFersiwn derfynol wedi’i chyhoeddi, 158 KBTrwydded: CC BY

Cysylltiad parhaol

Dolen barhaus

Ffeiliau eraill a chysylltiadau

Dolen i’r cyhoeddiad yn Scopus

1 Wedi Gorffen

WISERD Civil Society: Interpol (led by project 11438)
Jones, I. R. (Prif Ymchwilydd), Murphy, P. D. (Prif Ymchwilydd), O'Hanlon, F. (Prif Ymchwilydd), Royles, E. (Prif Ymchwilydd), Anderson, J. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Blackaby, D. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Bryson, A. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Chaney, P. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Cole, A. M. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Davies, R. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Davis, H. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Drinkwater, S. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Feilzer, M. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Green, A. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Heley, J. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Higgs, G. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Hyde, M. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Johns, N. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Jones, R. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Jones, R. D. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Jones, M. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Jones, M. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Langford, M. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Mann, R. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), McVie, S. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Milbourne, P. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Moles, K. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Orford, S. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Paterson, L. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Power, S. A. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Ress, G. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Roberts, G. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Robinson, C. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Taylor, C. M. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Thompson, A. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Wincott, D. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Woods, M. (Cyd-ymchwilydd), Jones, L. (Ymchwilydd), Stafford , I. (Ymchwilydd) & Staneva, A. (Ymchwilydd)
Economic and Social Research Council
01 Hyd 2014 → 30 Medi 2019
Prosiect: Ymchwil a ariannwyd yn allanol

Dyfynnu hyn

@article{6dde2d7a23c549e9b3065bd3325e214f,

title = "Communities of/for Interest: Revisiting the Role of Migrants{\textquoteright} Online Groups",

abstract = "This article offers a critical examination of the role played by migrants{\textquoteright} online communities. With much of scholarly analysis focusing on the new ways in which online groups enable migrants to connect, interact or socialise together in digital space, little attention has been paid to how these groups are actually formed, by whom and with what motivations. Drawing on qualitative interviews with moderators of online groups created by EU migrants living in Wales, UK, our findings reveal the diverse and sometimes ambivalent roles played by these groups, acting not only as networks of support for migrants ({\textquoteleft}communities of interest{\textquoteright}) but also driven by commercial motives. To capture the impact of this commercialisation and the complexity in the field, we introduce the notion of {\textquoteleft}communities for interest{\textquoteright}. The article thus offers new empirical and conceptual contributions that advance our understanding of migrants{\textquoteright} online communities beyond the much-discussed online/offline and virtual/real dichotomies.",

keywords = "communities for interest, communities of interest, migration, network society, online communities, social media",

author = "Taulant Guma and Stephen Drinkwater and Jones, {Rhys Dafydd}",

note = "Funding Information: The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: this work was supported by the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods – a collaborative venture between the Universities of Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, South Wales and Swansea funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, UK under Grant ES/L009099/1. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2022.",

year = "2023",

month = jun,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1177/00380385221104008",

language = "English",

volume = "57",

pages = "516--532",

journal = "Sociology",

issn = "0038-0385",

publisher = "SAGE Publishing",

number = "3",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Communities of/for Interest

T2 - Revisiting the Role of Migrants’ Online Groups

AU - Guma, Taulant

AU - Drinkwater, Stephen

AU - Jones, Rhys Dafydd

N1 - Funding Information: The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: this work was supported by the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods – a collaborative venture between the Universities of Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, South Wales and Swansea funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, UK under Grant ES/L009099/1. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.

PY - 2023/6/1

Y1 - 2023/6/1

N2 - This article offers a critical examination of the role played by migrants’ online communities. With much of scholarly analysis focusing on the new ways in which online groups enable migrants to connect, interact or socialise together in digital space, little attention has been paid to how these groups are actually formed, by whom and with what motivations. Drawing on qualitative interviews with moderators of online groups created by EU migrants living in Wales, UK, our findings reveal the diverse and sometimes ambivalent roles played by these groups, acting not only as networks of support for migrants (‘communities of interest’) but also driven by commercial motives. To capture the impact of this commercialisation and the complexity in the field, we introduce the notion of ‘communities for interest’. The article thus offers new empirical and conceptual contributions that advance our understanding of migrants’ online communities beyond the much-discussed online/offline and virtual/real dichotomies.

AB - This article offers a critical examination of the role played by migrants’ online communities. With much of scholarly analysis focusing on the new ways in which online groups enable migrants to connect, interact or socialise together in digital space, little attention has been paid to how these groups are actually formed, by whom and with what motivations. Drawing on qualitative interviews with moderators of online groups created by EU migrants living in Wales, UK, our findings reveal the diverse and sometimes ambivalent roles played by these groups, acting not only as networks of support for migrants (‘communities of interest’) but also driven by commercial motives. To capture the impact of this commercialisation and the complexity in the field, we introduce the notion of ‘communities for interest’. The article thus offers new empirical and conceptual contributions that advance our understanding of migrants’ online communities beyond the much-discussed online/offline and virtual/real dichotomies.

KW - communities for interest

KW - communities of interest

KW - migration

KW - network society

KW - online communities

KW - social media

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85134330358&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/00380385221104008

DO - 10.1177/00380385221104008

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85134330358

SN - 0038-0385

VL - 57

SP - 516

EP - 532

JO - Sociology

JF - Sociology

IS - 3

ER -

Communities of/for Interest: Revisiting the Role of Migrants’ Online Groups

Crynodeb

Mynediad at Ddogfen

Cysylltiad parhaol

Ffeiliau eraill a chysylltiadau

Ôl bys

Prosiectau

WISERD Civil Society: Interpol (led by project 11438)

Dyfynnu hyn