Article on how online communities facilitate the process of migration

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27th March 2013, 05:52 PM
tigerlily

Article on how online communities facilitate the process of migration

Hi all,

I just had an article published in the New Zealand Journal of Psychology about how online forums like this one assist migrants in the process of moving here. I am happy to email a copy to anyone who would like to read the full article. Here is the abstract:
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Previous research has indicated that immigrants gain support, primarily though sharing information, from participation in online forums. This study examined how migration forums function as communities to facilitate the transition to the destination country. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted on a 1-month cross-section of the posts made to 3 forums for migrants to New Zealand. Overall, members of the online communities encouraged each other through the uncertainties and stresses of international migration, including offering and receiving emotional and tangible support. Results also demonstrated that members behaved in altruistic ways to benefit their community as a whole. Protocols of thankfulness and sharing achievements assisted in the development of a sense of "we-ness" for the group. Notably, participation in the community fostered a normalization risk, thus lowering the barrier to international migration. Overall the shared experience made the process of migration easier for forum members. Further study into how forums create their own cultures, which shape participants expectations and experience are needed.
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I expect you already know about all these things, but if you are interested in reading an academic perspective on it (or just need something to help you get to sleep tonight), PM me.

Thanks to all of you who have made this such a fantastic community to be in. So much of what gets published about online activities is negative, but this paper takes the opposite view. We work together to get through a hard process, and it would be much harder without each other.

Cheers,

Aidan

PS. Yes, I'm still working on my personality study. The wheels of academia turn slowly!
27th March 2013, 06:36 PM
Civil Engineer

:nice1 A good one and worthy contribution.
27th March 2013, 07:31 PM
girlwithanewf

Great news, all the time you were spending on the immigration forum, you were just doing official research. Now go and celebrate your publication!

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigerlily

The wheels of academia turn slowly!

They certainly do.
27th March 2013, 10:37 PM
ralf-nz

Quote:

Originally Posted by girlwithanewf

Great news, all the time you were spending on the immigration forum, you were just doing official research

... and we guinea pigs?! :nice1

(And - yes! - I'll PM you)
28th March 2013, 03:16 AM
mikeandcaroline

Sounds very interesting - PM on its way. :)
28th March 2013, 07:36 AM
tigerlily

I don't think we are guinea pigs, more like pioneers. I joined this site in 2004, moved to New Zealand in 2008 and started working on my master's degree. Right away I realized that people in my field (psychology) were not aware of how challenging the process of leaving your home country is. So I have been working on that as a research topic ever since. This paper was something that I had wanted to write for a long time, given how important the support that I found here was.

Considering how much the New Zealand government has cracked down on providing "immigration advice" I think this paper is helpful in the argument that online communities have an important role in supporting people through the process of migration (and therefore should be cut some slack).

BTW- I just posted the article on my university webpage, so you can read it from there:
http://cacr.victoria.ac.nz/people/people/aidan-tabor
It is in the lower right corner under the heading Related Files.
28th March 2013, 08:12 AM
ralf-nz

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigerlily

Right away I realized that people in my field (psychology) were not aware of how challenging the process of leaving your home country is.

Perhaps not directly your field: What about leaving your home region with doing distant relocations within your home country? E.g. going from a little village in Maine to LA or the like? We had done some of these before coming here and it really helped us!
28th March 2013, 09:29 AM
tigerlily

Are you from a little village in Maine? No way!! I grew up in Maine, moved all over the US before I moved here. Yes, I think it helped. Also just that I was used to living a 6 hour flight from my family.

There has been research about internal migration (moving within the same country) but usually the focus is about moving for a job, and international migration has some very different issues, especially for those who plan to remain permanently. Most of the international migration research within psychology has been about the acculturation you go through once you arrive, but I am trying to get the field to consider the reasons why people come since the don't just pop into existence when they land at Auckland airport.
28th March 2013, 10:41 AM
JandM

Quote:

I think this paper is helpful in the argument that online communities have an important role in supporting people through the process of migration (and therefore should be cut some slack).

:clap :clap :clap
28th March 2013, 01:06 PM
ralf-nz

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigerlily

Are you from a little village in Maine? No way!! I grew up in Maine...

Nope - just a good guess, isn't it?! I could have used another example like going from London to a little Cornish village instead.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tigerlily

There has been research about internal migration (moving within the same country) but usually the focus is about moving for a job, and international migration has some very different issues, especially for those who plan to remain permanently. Most of the international migration research within psychology has been about the acculturation you go through once you arrive, but I am trying to get the field to consider the reasons why people come since the don't just pop into existence when they land at Auckland airport.

I am probably more interested in comparing acculturation (new technical term for me:)) re internal immigration and acculturation re international migration.
As to the reasons for me it was more the other way round to what you are writing. I came here for a job whereas previously I relocated to another region just due to/because of the different regional cultures.

I have just read your article and it is really interesting to read - thanks again for sharing! ('I'm thankful for your altruism':wink:)