Social Media, Migration and Community in Ireland Project
If you are a Filipino or Polish national currently or recently living or working in Ireland, we would like to hear about your experiences, in complete privacy. Any information provided will be confidential and all participants will be anonymous.
The Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences has funded a two year grant under Strand 1 (Research Stimulator Grants) of the Research Development Initiative to examine the use of social media by Polish and Philippine nationals in Ireland, examining migration, integration and community formation, both trans-nationally and locally, through information access, sharing and dissemination. The project seeks the participation of Polish and Filipino residents in Ireland who would be willing to talk for about an hour, in complete confidence, about their use of new social media (Facebook, mobile phones, Skype, and so on) and the impact that these have had on their lives. All information gained from discussions will be private and participants will be anonymous.
Principle Investigator: Dr. Lee Komito
Telephone: (01) 716 7594
Click here to send email Lee Komito
Co-Investigator: Dr. Jessica Bates
Telephone: (01) 716 7592
Click here to send email to Jessica Bates
- Facebook site for anyone who would like to discuss this project:
Social Media, Migration and Community in Ireland Project - If you don't have time to participate in the project, but would be willing to complete an online survey, click here.
The impact of new technologies on community has been part of a continuing debate about community and social change. This research prioritizes information and communication as central features of communities, derived from Dewey’s description of society: “Society not only continues to exist by transmission, by communication, but it may fairly be said to exist in transmission, in communication” (Democracy and education: an introduction to the philosophy of education. New York, The Macmillan company. 1916). In this context, the changes in information and communication associated with Web 2.0 technologies, and especially social networking technologies are central to the changing nature and composition of communities.
This research examines the use of such technologies by migrant populations in Ireland. As transient and mobile individuals, they rapidly adopt new technologies in order to respond to changing economic and social circumstances. Research on the use of social networking sites by Polish nationals in Ireland (Komito, L. & Bates, J., “Virtually Local: social networking and community amongst Polish nationals in Dublin” Aslib Proceedings, 2009, vol. 61, no. 3) indicates that these technologies are facilitating virtual communities amongst dispersed populations in ways not previously possible. The content and media rich nature of these sites transforms long distance networks into resilient virtual communities that enable easy movement from one country to another, while also facilitating ‘virtual ghettos’ amongst migrants who live in dispersed locations within the same city.
This project will research the use of Web 2.0 technologies by Polish and Philippine nationals in Ireland. The research will focus on community formation, both trans-nationally and locally, due to information access, sharing and dissemination. The research will test whether the affordances provided by such ICTs, is altering the processes of migration, integration, and community formation amongst migrants. Over a two year period, migrants will interviewed three times, to map changes in ICT use, migration and integration status.
The project is looking for volunteers from the Polish and Philippine communities in Ireland willing to talk about their use of new information and communications technologies. Traditionally, when people leave their home country, they lose contact with friends and events back home, and eventually feel less "connected" with their country of origin and the friends they grew up with. The aim of this project is to see whether new technologies are changing this, as people feel able to 'facebook' or 'bebo' their friends and relations and read newspapers and listen to radio online. It also investigates whether new technologies are enabling easier movement from one country to another and whether non-nationals find it easier to maintain contact with fellow non-nationals in their country of residence. If you are interested in participating, contact either:
- Principal Investigator: Dr. Lee Komito
(01) 716 7594
Click here to send email Lee Komito - Associate Investigator: Dr. Jessica Bates
(01) 716 7592
Click here to send email to Jessica Bates
Researchers:
Ms. Nuala Connolly
Ms. Ewa Kobialka
Mr. Paul O'Reilly
Ms. Jean Ricken
social media montage