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This study examines how, in the words of Appadurai, "locality emerges in a global world" (Appadurai, 1996, p.18). Specifically, it articulates the nature of information practices in the lives of 14 newcomers to Canada who have migrated from the Philippines to the medium-size city of Winnipeg. Using a qualitative and exploratory approach, this study applies a transnational lens to this area of research to make explicit the detailed activities and outcomes of newcomer information practices, in particular drawing out the dimensions and implications of newcomers' participation within and across local and global social networks, translocal information landscapes, and across their settlement trajectories. The result is a Translocal Meaning Making process that describes how newcomers come to make sense and use information across distinct and sometimes contradictory information spaces. Our findings suggest that migrant information practices shift across space and time and are constituted both individually, through cognitive and affective processes, and socially, through shared imaginaries, through interactions within and across translocal information landscapes, and through complex deterritorialized networks of people and resources.

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In this article, we examine the selfie-taking and sharing practices of Muslim pilgrims in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. We introduce the concept of the “holy selfie” (a selfie taken during either theHajj or the Umrah pilgrimages) and report on a visual content analysis of a sample of 100 holy selfies publicly available on social networking platforms. We seek to reach an understanding of the work that holy selfies do in the context of the expressions of spiritual and religious identity of those producing them. Our findings suggest that the embodied experience of pilgrims at the holy sites finds an expressive release through holy selfies, with many pilgrims viewing selfie-taking as an important part of their journey. The selfies (and associated features) capture and document pilgrims’ experiences, contribute to their meaning-making, enable the sharing of memories with loved ones, and attract online followers. Our study provides a picture of how holy selfies blur the gender line (as many males as females take them), emerge despite the opposition of Saudi authorities, and serve as a means of engaging with a multiplicity of audiences. We seek to start a conceptual and methodological conversation about this emerging phenomenon of identity construction involving the use of new media along with the construction of affiliative identities among geographically dispersed communities of Muslim pilgrims. The taking of holy selfies can thus be read as a tactic used by 21st-century Muslims to create opportunities for self-representation and community building in a context of increasing Islamophobia.

International medical graduates (IMGs) are medical professionals who have immigrated to the United States (US) or Canada (Ca) in hopes of integrating into the labor market. IMGs can be a very helpful resource supplying a diverse background and expertise to the medical system in the host country [Chen et al., 2010]. However, immigration and integration into a new country can be difficult processes due to differences in cultural norms, information sources, and information dissemination. In this study, we investigate the nature of information in the lived experiences of IMGs as they make a new life for themselves and their families in either the US or Canada. By so doing, we contribute to the limited body of research on this population by providing an informational perspective. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 IMGs residing in the US or Canada. Our findings indicate that IMGs spend an inordinate amount of time searching for occupational and employment-related information, which includes information about retraining and residency programs, along with varied strategies to make sense of the new information landscapes. IMGs use various strategies to identify signposts and become conversant in the new landscape. Despite the limited sample, it becomes clear that one's ability to become literate in these new information environments leads to more positive outcomes (i.e., integrating the labor market, overall well-being, belonging).

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