‘The phone means everything.’ Mobile phones, livelihoods and social capital among Syrian refugees in informal tented settlements in Lebanon

Abstract

This study explores the role of mobile phones in livelihood creation among Syrian refugees in informal tented settlements in Akkar Governorate and the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. Drawing on fortyfive interviews with Syrian refugees and ten interviews with aid workers, the study highlights the importance of mobile phones in reviving, maintaining and leveraging social capital for the purpose of securing livelihoods in a context of precarity and restricted movement. We find that mobile phones offer important means for reviving social networks in exile, managing supportive relationships that have been established in Lebanon and liaising with employers. As such, they constitute important tools for coping with a context shaped by legal exclusion, restricted movement, police harassment, decentralised aid provision and a geographical dispersal of support networks, even as they remain a costly investment with uncertain returns.

The ‘connected migrant’: A scoping review

“…A key theme amongst the scholarship on the use of digital media as imperative for displaced migrants to create experiences for social inclusion explores the creation and/or maintenance of social relationships (Alan and Imran, 2015; Alencar and Tsagkroni, 2019; Andrade and Doolin, 2016; Elliot and Yusuf, 2014; Gorransson et al, 2020; Kaufmann, 2018; Koh et al, 2018; Neag and Supa, 2020). These studies explore how displaced migrants use the different affordances of social media to create social relationships, using concepts such as ‘bonding’, ‘bridging’ and ‘linking’ ‘social capital’ (as seen in Elliot and Yusuf, 2014 for example) to examine the benefits these relationships bring to settlement experiences.…”

Depresssion, anxiety and other cognitive consequences of social isolation: Drug and non‐drug treatments

“…Enriched environment Promotes social activity, 130 improves cognitive deficits 132 and attenuates depression-like behaviour 133 Exercise Treadmill Improves memory 138 and attenuates depression-like behaviour 139 Walking Improves social behaviour 140,141 Running Prevents emotional and social impairments 142 and reverses overexpression of IL-1β 145 Aerobic exercise Decreases stress in the hippocampus and reverses overexpression of IL-1β 145 Endurance exercise Attenuates adverse effects induced by SI 147,148 Swimming Prevents apoptosis, reduces anxiety, and enhances social and learning capability in rats 146 Music Reduces fear and stress, improves social relationships 152 Technology Smartphones Increase social interaction 154,155 Social engagement Improves age-related cognitive deficits, dementia, and memory decline induced by SI 156 Social robots Provide social support and reduce depressive-like mood [157][158][159] Farming Promotes social interaction 160,161…”

“…153 There are several investigations on using smartphones, which have been used as a critical tool to connect humans and plays a crucial role in social capability and decreasing SI. 154 Nowadays, social interaction has strictly wired into mobile phones via social platforms such as chat rooms, groups and channels, YouTube videos, and video-call applications such as Skype. During the pandemic, when getting quarantine and staying at home was advised, social support has been provided mostly by social media throughout smartphones.…”

“…Lack of social interaction, as an absence of social stimulation on the brain, may lead to lesser cognitive reserve, lower brain flexibility, and cognitive impairment 153 . There are several investigations on using smartphones , which have been used as a critical tool to connect humans and plays a crucial role in social capability and decreasing SI 154 . Nowadays, social interaction has strictly wired into mobile phones via social platforms such as chat rooms, groups and channels, YouTube videos, and video‐call applications such as Skype.…”

Sosyal Sermaye ile Geleceğini Güvence Altına Almak: Türkiye'de Sivil Toplum Kuruluşlarında (STK) Çalışan Suriyeli Mülteci Kadınlar Örneği

“…Being used to revive social networks, manage supportive relationships, and communicate with employers, mobile phones are extremely important for refugees (Göransson et al 2020). Mobile phones are also extremely crucial for Syrian women as there are online groups set up by Syrians to advertise jobs.…”