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Information seeking and communication during forced migration: An empirical analysis of refugees' digital media use and its effects on their perceptions of Germany as their target country
Corporate Editor
Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society - The German Internet Institute
Abstract The recent refugee movements to Europe occur in the digital age. While there is a common perception that 'every refugee carries a smartphone', research on this new phenomenon is limited. To fill this academic gap, we have conducted a representative survey of more than 400 refugees living in Berlin w... view more
The recent refugee movements to Europe occur in the digital age. While there is a common perception that 'every refugee carries a smartphone', research on this new phenomenon is limited. To fill this academic gap, we have conducted a representative survey of more than 400 refugees living in Berlin which provides insight into the use of digital media in preparation for and during forced migration. We also asked whether digital media shaped images of and expectations about the refugees' target country Germany. The data confirm that digital media are important tools for refugees but also show that refugees are not a homogenous group and that usage patterns depend on regional origins. Moreover, we found that refugees who frequently accessed the Internet before they fled were better informed than others. Whereas Internet use also contributed to a positively-biased perception of Germany, the respective effect of traditional media use was stronger.... view less
Keywords
perception; Internet; utilization; Federal Republic of Germany; communication behavior; digital divide; refugee; digital media
Classification
Interactive, electronic Media
Free Keywords
Refugees; Communication; Germany
Document language
English
Publication Year
2020
City
Berlin
Page/Pages
30 p.
Series
Weizenbaum Series, 3
Status
Preprint; peer reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0
FundingDiese Arbeit wurde durch das Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) gefördert (Förderkennzeichen: 16DII111, 16DII112, 16DII113, 16DII114, 16DII115, 16DII116, 16DII117 - "Deutsches Internet-Institut"). / This work has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) (grant no.: 16DII111, 16DII112, 16DII113, 16DII114, 16DII115, 16DII116, 16DII117 - "Deutsches Internet-Institut").