Technology’s Refuge: The use of technology by asylum seekers and refugees

Leung, Lawrence C.; Lamb, Cath Finney; Emrys, Liz

doi:10.5130/978-1-86365-4241

Cited by 32 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Glazebrook (2004) found similar results in his Australian study where in the first 12 months after being released from detention, many Hazara refugees who did not understand English mainstream media such as television, newspapers and radio, instead relied heavily on their own social network through mobile phone contacts to get news and information (Glazebrook 2004). Also investigating technology use by asylum seekers and refugees in Australia, Leung et al (2009) reported that refugees with poor English and poor literacy encountered difficulties in picking up ICT skills which required writing skills such as e-mail, SMS texting, and internet skills.…”

Section: Language and Acculturation Using Mediasupporting

confidence: 62%

“…Participation was completely voluntary. Snowball sampling was employed to solicit participants for this research; this is a common participant recruitment strategy for research "working with populations that are not easily identified or accessed" (O'Leary 2010: 170; also see Bloch 1999) such as refugees (see Glazebrook 2004;Leung et al 2009). Since the majority of participants in this study were under 18 years, the researcher applied for the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian's blue card via the Romero Centre to enable data collection.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Australian context, previous studies on refugees and their media use indicated that media played a role in helping former refugees to be in touch with their families back in their home country, as well as establish a new relationship with their compatriots in Australia. Studying refugee use of communication technology in Australia, Leung et al (2009) revealed that new technologies were more appealing to the youth, who used them to keep in touch with relatives from their home country as well as to get news about the situations in their home country. Specifically, for the Hazara refugees recently released from detention, a mobile phone was found to be the most essential media platform on which they rely.…”

Section: Using Media To Fulfil Gratificationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

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‘Now I’m Part of Australia and I Need to Know What Is Happening Here’: Case of Hazara Male Former Refugees in Brisbane Strategically Selecting Media to Aid Acculturation

Tudsri

Hebbani

2014

Int. Migration & Integration

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Given the steady rise in the number of Hazara seeking asylum in Australia, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of media in their acculturation and to explore whether their level of English language proficiency played a mediating role in selecting certain media platforms over others. Data were collected through 29 participants completing a survey, followed by in-depth interviews with ten Hazara male youths (age ≤18 years) in Brisbane, Australia. The findings suggested that young Hazara men were very selective in their media choice. While some used media to improve their integration into Australia, others consciously chose to separate and be more "Afghan" than "Australian". In this selection process, their self-awareness with regard to English language proficiency, coupled with how motivated they were to learn English, played a critical mediating role; certain participants who had limited English proficiency and wanted to improve it watched English language media to improve their proficiency. These media were avoided by participants with a similar proficiency who had no interest in improving it; participants representing this group resorted to Hazaragi/Dari media for information and news, instead of the local media. In this study, the latter group also displayed a separation approach of acculturation.

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Section: Language and Acculturation Using Mediasupporting

confidence: 62%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Using Media To Fulfil Gratificationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

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‘Now I’m Part of Australia and I Need to Know What Is Happening Here’: Case of Hazara Male Former Refugees in Brisbane Strategically Selecting Media to Aid Acculturation

Tudsri

Hebbani

2014

Int. Migration & Integration

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“…Finding meaningful ways for refugees to participate in this type of research is vital for understanding the issues facing refugees during settlement. Digital media already assist refugees to maintain a sense of stability and connection with family overseas (e.g., Leung et al 2009), and to communicate their exceptional experiences to mainstream foreign communities, advocating for awareness and support (e.g., the Twitter account @AlabedBana, managed by a nine year old Syrian girl and her mother living in Aleppo, had over 360,000 followers). Including refugees' voices in scholarly discussions helps scholars and advocates to identify potential areas of need, and effective means of support, during resettlement.…”

Section: Communication and Social Livesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Digital Concept Maps to Distinguish Between Young Refugees’ Challenges

Brooker

Lawrence

Dodds

2017

Journal of Interactive Media in Education

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Digital media are beneficial for research of complex refugee issues, as they allow refugees to express their personal experiences of complex issues in ways that are not restricted by language barriers or limited in authenticity, while also offering researchers a way to systematically compare refugees' varied experiences. We used a computerised concept mapping task to ask 74 young refugees (teenagers and young adults), from three separately recruited samples, to think about their experiences with various challenges they might face during settlement, distinguishing between their challenges in terms of size. Our analyses focused on one major challenge in Australia, learning the English language, and how it related to ten other challenges of resettlement. The three samples differed in educational setting, cultural background, age, and time in Australia. These refugees faced multiple challenges in their lives. Regardless of differences between the groups, the 74 shared a single pattern of experiences in which English language was substantially bigger, and more frequently endorsed, than other challenges. The three samples differed in how they described their experiences with their English language challenges. Our findings suggest a need for more support learning the English language, even for those who might be assumed to have good levels of conversational or academic English. This support needs to extend beyond the 510 hours of support received upon arrival in the country. Findings also suggest that such support could help young refugees overcome other challenges as they settle in Australia, especially in their academic, social, and employment experiences.

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“…What follows is an analysis of the issues surrounding refugees' technology use as identified in the literature, including the pilot study which was published as a monograph Technology's Refuge (Leung, Finney Lamb and Emrys 2009), concluding with ideas and recommendations generated by refugee communities and settlement service providers about how best address these issues.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telecommunications across borders

Leung¹

2010

TJA

Self Cite

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This article reports on recent research examining refugees as a particular user group of communication technologies. The term 'refugee' refers to all people who are exposed to refugee-type experiences and may include displaced people, asylum seekers and resettled refugees who have been granted residency in Australia. A review of literature has found that refugees as technology users have had very little attention across different disciplines, although the research has shown that technology is key to sustaining emotional wellbeing and precarious connections with family members when displaced. In particular, the telephone is the most critical technology for refugees in terms availability and familiarity. However, the access and affordability of telecommunications services and other technologies during displacement impacts on refugees' adoption and use of technology in the settlement process.

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Technology’s Refuge: The use of technology by asylum seekers and refugees

Cited by 32 publications

References 22 publications

‘Now I’m Part of Australia and I Need to Know What Is Happening Here’: Case of Hazara Male Former Refugees in Brisbane Strategically Selecting Media to Aid Acculturation

‘Now I’m Part of Australia and I Need to Know What Is Happening Here’: Case of Hazara Male Former Refugees in Brisbane Strategically Selecting Media to Aid Acculturation

Using Digital Concept Maps to Distinguish Between Young Refugees’ Challenges

Telecommunications across borders

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