Social Media and International Migration: The Case of China-U.S. Migration during 2020-2024

• In Event: 20220 - Section on Communication, Information Technology, and Media Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Section on Communication, Information Technology, and Media Sociology Roundtable IX: Social Media I

Abstract

The dramatic increase of undocumented migration from China to the United States during 2020-2024 has made media headlines. In this paper, we carry out a systematic study to examine the causes behind the rise. In addition to factors such as rising youth unemployment, strict lockdown policy during COVID-19, a tight labor market in China, we pay attention to the important role of social media in promoting undocumented international migration. We argue that social media can promote this type of migration in three ways. First social media helps to change the norm of border-crossing: from a highly stigmatized concept to a mode of migration that can be relatively easy to accept. Second, we argue that social media promotes spatial diffusion of undocumented migration because information posted on social media platform can be easily accessible by people in any location and by people with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Third, social media may have unintended consequence of minimizing unreliable brokers which improves the safe arrival of immigrants. Using computational methods, we provide preliminary results using social media B site from China.

Authors

• Zai Liang, State University of New York at Albany

• Jinzhao Zhang, Claremont Graduate University

• Shichao Du, University at Albany, SUNY