The smartphone as a lifeline: an exploration of refugees' use of mobile communication technologies during their flight
The smartphone as a lifeline: an exploration of refugees' use of mobile communication technologies during their flight
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DOI：
10.1177/0163443718813486
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发表时间：
2019-09-01
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Ribbens, Wannes
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Alencar, Amanda;Kondova, Katerina;Ribbens, Wannes
基于对定居在荷兰的 16 名男性难民（主要来自叙利亚）进行的定性研究结果，本文报告了一项调查，该调查应用了使用与满足 (U&G) 框架和难民研究的见解来检查难民的媒体使用情况，并将其与旅途中出现的物质、社会和心理需求联系起来。我们的研究以智能手机为重点，在抽样人群中区分了四个重要的媒体 U&G 集群：智能手机作为伴侣、组织中心、生命线和消遣。首先，智能手机的使用与难民联系家人、朋友以及与移民社区联系的需要有关。通过智能手机与其他难民和走私者建立联系的重要性加强了这些移民网络在流动过程中的作用。调查结果还指出，难民使用智能手机是为了获得安全感。最后，这项研究展示了使用智能手机通过存储飞行过程中经历的重要时刻的照片来保存旅程记忆。其他研究应包括其他方法和样本，以进一步验证我们的理论框架和研究结果。
Building on the results of a qualitative study with 16 male refugees (mostly from Syria) settled in the Netherlands, this article reports on an investigation that applied insights from the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) framework and refugee studies to examine the media use of refugees and to link these to the material, social and psychological needs emerging from the journey. With a focus on the smartphone, our study distinguished four significant clusters of media U&G among the sampling population: smartphone as companion, an organisational hub, a lifeline and diversion. First, the use of smartphones was linked to refugees' need to contact family, friends and connect with migrant communities. The importance of establishing contact with other refugees and smugglers through smartphones reinforces the agency of these migration networks within mobility processes. The findings also point to refugees' smartphone usage for getting a sense of security. Finally, this study demonstrated the use of smartphones for preserving memories of the journey through the storage of pictures taken of important moments experienced during the flight. Additional studies should include other methodologies and samples to further validate our theoretical framework and findings.