Meaning of New Technologies for the Transnational Communication Experiences of Latina Migrants in the U.S. East Coast

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session and Reception
  In Interactive Paper Session: Communication and Technology Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

This paper analyzes 32 in-depth interviews with Latina migrants in the United States to understand the ways in which these women utilize –or not—new technologies such as mobile phones, videoconference tools and online social media to maintain transnational ties with family members and friends in their home countries. This study also offers a contribution to understand the motivations and gratifications these female migrants from five different countries have and obtain, respectively, with the use of information and communication technologies. This is one of the few studies that focuses on female migrants, an under-researched population in migration and communication studies, and it involves not only women from five different countries in Latin America living in the U.S. East Coast but women in very diverse situations: from undocumented housewives to professionals working in academia and in highly competitive industries such as information technology, among others. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Author

• Vanessa Bravo, Elon University