How Can Social Media Be Helpful for Immigrants to Integrate Society in the US

Abstract

With an increase in diversity in the society, the United States has been faced with the challenge of how to integrate its immigrants in the American communities. Different researches have shown that social media has a significant role in the integration of these immigrants. However, that which has been missing in such studies encompasses the conceptual frameworks for understanding the existing interplay between the utilization of social media and, on the other hand, integration. The results of this research point out that social media has a significant relevance in the participation of immigrants in acquiring language, cultural competencies and bridging social capital. Based on these results, therefore, an analysis of immigrant integration in American by using social media has been demonstrated in the paper.

Knowledge of legal rights as a factor of refugee and asylum seekers’ health status: a qualitative study

“…In a previous study, immigrants found government websites to be difficult to navigate and instead preferred social media for its ease and clarity. 72 Given the prevalence of misinformation on social media, 73 74 and its detrimental impact, 75 there is an opportunity to develop trustworthy, reliable digital resources to provide information about public benefits for refugees and asylum seekers. Such information should be up-to-date with accurate legal information.…”

“…More than half of the participants in this study used internet sources to learn about their eligibility for public benefits. In a previous study, immigrants found government websites to be difficult to navigate and instead preferred social media for its ease and clarity 72. Given the prevalence of misinformation on social media,73 74 and its detrimental impact,75 there is an opportunity to develop trustworthy, reliable digital resources to provide information about public benefits for refugees and asylum seekers.…”

The impact of mobile social media use on the integration of immigrants -- With empirical evidence from China

“…Social media can also facilitate the development of social networks in the new environment. thus helping them to better adapt to the cultural environment of the host country [7]. Through interpersonal communication and participation in social activities through social media, they can obtain high-quality communication across regions and cultures, which effectively reduces the pressure of cultural adaptation in the host country and helps them to obtain more entertainment and a sense of belonging to the group [8].On the other hand, some scholars have suggested that the use of social media has a negative impact on the individual's cross-cultural adaptation and that the use of social media for cross-cultural adaptation of migrants will enhance their understanding of the cultural environment of the host country [9].…”

I hope, one day, I will have the right to speak

“…Media and communication technologies have historically played a crucial role in the lives of people on the move and the existing literature has mapped the ways in which these communities incorporate digital technologies and the implications on their lives (see Alencar, 2018, 2020; Leurs and Ponzanesi, 2018; Retis and Tsagarousianou, 2019, for an overview). Recent work examines how social media facilitate migration and integration (Alencar, 2018; Erdem, 2018), human trafficking (Zimmerman and Kiss, 2017) and diaspora engagement (Al-Rawi and Fahmy, 2018: 201).…”